Memories and Lies
by landiddy
Summary: What happens when Naruto has a few secrets that no one's heard? What happens when Sasuke wants to know? What happens when two boys get their fates mingled together? Worse, they're two lonely boys in high school. AU MM rape angst lang adult theme
1. Unfortunate Meeting

It's been a few years now, and I can admit that the first few chapters could be so much better. I won't rewrite them though. I'm aware that my interests can't be what everyone likes, and I accept that. Just don't bash me someone else please. I was young when I started this, and around chapter 5 or 6 is when people really start to like it.

There are some clichés, as with any other fanfic, but they weed themselves out since I got older and realized how horribly suckish they can be. Chapter 3: that's my own poetry. Do I honestly feel that way? At one time I did, my emotions effect my writing, that's just how it is. It isn't Naruto's overall personality. He's actually a lot closer to Kishimoto's version.

Regardless, I hope you enjoy it. If not, I won't hate you for it. Bad reviews happen, and I know this.

* * *

_**Chapter: 1- Unfortunate Meeting**_

"Uchiha," he whined as he was thrown up against a wall of lockers. "Why do you do this to me? Haven't I been molested enough already this week?"

"Aww... don't act like you don't _love_ it Uzumaki." He shot out his tongue to lap at the exposed earlobe. Naruto shivered at the sudden contact from the wet appendage. "And this is only the _third_ time I've cornered you this week."

The blonde scoffed into the broad shoulder under his chin while the class president took an experimental nip at his collarbone. The involuntary gasp that escaped him made his plea sound all the more insincere. Still, he was determined to get out of this. "You make it sound like I'm some kind of animal. Believe it or not, I'm not your play thing Uchiha."

"I thought you were going to stop calling me that? I call you 'Naruto' when we're alone, don't I?" He purred out his words as he ran a hand under the tee shirt beneath the unbuttoned uniform jacket.

Naruto shuddered and bit his lip to keep from moaning when he felt his erect nipple be pinched and then pulled. It was hard, but he made his voice come out even. "It would be respectful _not_ to though. And you just called me by my surname like, two seconds ago...Hey, I know you're the class president and all, but you _know_, most people would want to rape _Neji_ instead. He _is_ a lot prettier than me. And I'm _pretty_ sure that he would actually enjoy this."

"Neji is a prude. He's _way_ too much like me to screw his brains out. I know this for a _fact_." He pulled his face up and gazed at the blonde with half-lidded eyes. "Besides, I like you better."

The tanned boy fought hard to keep down his blush that was provoked only further by the firm thigh that had slipped between his legs. _Oh Gods of every culture and belief, don't let him notice that... _"Come on, you can't just beat the shit out of me and call it a day? You know, like old times?"

"If I did something like that, you might not like our time _alone_ anymore." Sasuke took his hand out from under the shirt and used it to cup the other boy's chin. "I wouldn't want that." Naruto inhaled sharply as his lips were taken possession of by the dark haired boy. That... never happened before. He never kissed him!! Maybe on his neck before he gave him a God forbidden hickey, but not like this!! What to do? What to do?! Panic! PANIC! Somewhere in the back of his mind, a super deformed version of Naruto was flailing its arms and running around in circles, screaming. Oh God, he had to get out but... wait... Why was this started to feel good to him? The chibi him stopped and stared into nothingness at the new discovery. He never liked being groped. Especially on his way back _from_ the bathroom. Maybe if he was headed there anyway, but that's beside the point. He was... slipping? Was this really, benefiting him... or was he just loosing it in confusion? You know, gay certainly was something he thought he was not.

He couldn't stop the small gasp of neglect that wiggled through his lips when the second pair abandoned him though. He hadn't even noticed his eyes were closed either until he had to open them. What the hell?

"Uchiha... Why would you do that?"

He smirked in that damn way that always seemed to succeed in pissing the hyper-active blonde off. "Because," he paused while the bell let out its piercing shrill cry, "you're going to be late for class."

Naruto growled and clenched his fists. "That's not what I meant you stoic bastard..."

"If I were you," he pressed as if Naruto hadn't uttered a word, "I would head back to Umino and tell him that you weren't skipping. Professor Hatake is always late, so you don't have to worry about him."

"Or, you could come with me to ensure that my story sells. You know they won't believe me, I'm a delinquent." He jutted his thumb to his chest to prove his point.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You know, I really don't care that much what happens to you... Even if it does seem that way _sometimes_." He crossed his arms and averted his gaze as voices were beginning to be heard coming from down the hall. "I just like to be controlling."

"Aw, who cares, pretty boy? If you don't help me, I'll totally get stomped."

"...What the hell does that mean?"

"It means Granny Tsunade is gonna have my ass if you don't back me up."

"Uh... already told you, I don't care if you get busted for nothing."

"Then why are you still here, Sasuke-kuuuuuuuuuun?"

"Ugh, don't call me that unsuratonkachi."

"Then come with me Sa-suke-kun."

"What the hell got into you? Since when do you try to get back at me, Na-ru-to?"

"Since my ass is on the line you bastard. I'll go back to being a chicken-shit when you get me out of this." He put his fists on his hips and tucked his bottom lip inside his mouth. "Are you helping me or not?" Yeah, that's all Sasuke needed to agree. After attacking Naruto's mouth until he reclaimed the fleshy appendage as his, he pulled him into the middle of the hall and began marching him back to teen-living with Professor Umino.

"What the hell Uchiha?!" People are in the hallways after the bell rings you know."

He shot him a lustful look from under his low-hanging bangs. "I know." He jammed his hands into his pockets and trudged on forward when he felt the other boy's arm swing in the air next to him. "I just don't care. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it looks like you don't mind that much either."

"Oh, wooooooooow..." Naruto rolled his eyes and put his hands in his own pockets. "You unbutton your jacket... _And_ mine! That's awwwwwwwwesome."

"Don't be a smartass. You know what I mean."

"...No, not really."

"...Dumbass..."

"I am nooooooooot... I'm just slow-er."

"Che, no kidding. I'm one person you don't have to tell that to."

"You just think you're so smart 'cause you're from two parts of Asia."

"...Do not."

"Yes you do. And it's even worse since it's from China and _Nippon_."

"...Nippon?" He thought for a second processing what he'd just heard. Nippon? Wasn't that Japanese? "Since when do you know two-shits about Japan?"

"I learn what I live."

The obsidian-eyed teen raised a brow. "And that would be what? Anime? Manga maybe? Those are comics if you didn't know. Oh, are you eating processed food now too?"

"Shut up asshole. I only know what I do because I hear you say it when you rape me. I don't know what the words mean, so I look them up... And I've always eaten ramen for... many a reason." Sasuke went quiet as he digested the new information he'd just received. He said stuff in Japanese when he did _that_? WHY?! He only _ever_ slipped into native tongue when he experienced extreme bouts of emotion at once...((Yes, Japanese was native because that is where he was born and came from.)) What the hell... And why was he even talking then?! The stupid blonde used to just be an anger vent. If anything else now, he was used to get rid of sexual tension from being stuck in a uniform school and holding up his reputation. With the life he had, it proved very difficult to find a girl that wasn't only interested because of his name. Yeah, his name. Who could he kid? He was loaded, class president, top freshmen in academics, most sports, and he was a black belt in tai quan do, karate, and tai-chi. Who _wouldn't_ want to get with that? Even after what his brother did, the Uchiha name and company still stood tall.

"Uchihaaaaaaa..." Totally lost in his abyss of thought, Sasuke hadn't realized he had walked clear past the teen-living II room. Damn... was he always that oblivious when he was thinking? "Uchiha, what the hell are you thinking about?"

"Eh?" He turned his head over his shoulder to look at what was causing the pressure on his elbow. Great. Not only was he being totally retarded, but he apparently needed an anchor now as well. That's wonderful. What the hell was happening to him? He's a martial artist for God's sake!! They don't get distracted like that...

"Oh, never mind," Naruto pouted as he dropped the sleeved arm. "Just go in there and state my case for me."

"I'm not doing it for _you_."

"Then what the hell are you doing it for?!" That tiny Naruto just loved mimicking his host. Especially against that asswipe other there.

He smirked again, this time clear in his face. "If you're caught in class, I can't get you in the hallways, now can I?"

That did it. The blonde took a gulp before letting his mind go on a rampage. Giving control to his self-conscious comrade, meaning without thinking, he pulled back a fist and let fly, making contact with Sasuke's left temple and sending him crashing to the floor. Ha! Yeah right, he ducked and the blonde practically toppled over in the dip. Just before his fist hit him in the shin from the excess force, the wind was knocked out of him. Sasuke had brought up his knee during his bouncy rebound and jabbed Naruto in the stomach. With a sickening 'oaf,' Naruto was thrown back against the soundproof door to Professor Umino's classroom. He sunk down against the frame of the wood and puffed to catch his breath. It's a good thing they discussed confidential things in there. If it wasn't for the secrets talked about sex and other personal views, he would've never gotten the extra money put in his budget for it. _Glad he did though._

"Che." Sasuke bent over and helped him to his feet, pulling his arm around his shoulders for support. "You wanted me to kick your ass, right? Well, there you go." He shot him one more smirk and opened the door to the classroom. "Umino-sensei?" Oh yeah, that got him the most hateful glare imaginable from Naruto. If only he could focus more, maybe his bitch-raven hair would catch flame from the leer he was getting.

The teacher looked up from his desk of papers and frowned at the boys. "Sasuke, I thought I told you to call me Iruka? Umino is so formal." You'd think he'd be a little more worried about his favorite student's appearance, right? Mini-Naruto wept. Regardless, Iruka did raise his brow to the gasping blonde. "What's wrong with Uzumaki?"

He chuckled from his bent position. Why? Who knows? He's crazy like that sometimes. "Still calling me that scar-face? You call Uchiha 'Sasuke,' why can't I be 'Naruto?' I mean, really now. There aren't many of us in the school to confuse me with..."

"Shut up you dunce." Dunce? Naruto got quiet after that and just kept his gaze to the floor. He should've been used to it, well, he was. But coming from him it was... Iruka sighed and shook his head. Laughing softly he asked, "What happened this time?"

Before Naruto could open his mouth, Sasuke answered for him. "I found him in the hallway. Apparently, he picked a fight with someone and lost, miserably." Yep. Naruto threw some liquid nitrogen in with his searing flames. "I'm guessing it was Neji or Shino."

"Now why would he do something dumb like that? I know he's an idiot, but why would he want any trouble now? I mean, his record is just going down the drain, and at this rate--"

"Because I'm a jerk, Iruka!!" Naruto cut in with a voice heavy with a touch of emotion. "I'm just a stupid _dunce_ that doesn't know when to stop since I don't care about what happens to me!! Maybe I should just jump off the roof and ease everyone's trouble huh? I mean, it's not like anyone _really_ wants me here..."

Iruka stood up and slammed his palms down on the desk. "Uzumaki Naruto!! What the hell is wrong with you?! Keep talking like that and see where it lands you!!"

"Che... probably anywhere better than Fox Empires, no?" Sasuke quirked his eyebrow. _Fox Empires?_

"That's it!!" Iruka strode over to the two boys and ripped Naruto from Sasuke's grasp. "You're going to see Kakashi _now_!! We're going to have to have a talk with him, don't you think?"

"What are you talking about Iruka? _Professor_ Hatake is ne-ver to class on time."

"Idiot!! Don't you think there's a reason for that?!"

Naruto blinked up at the man that had a firm grip on his collar. "What?"

"Let's go you brat!!" As he frog-marched Naruto out of the room, he looked over his shoulder. "Oh, Sasuke, you may go now. But, before you do, could you leave a note on the board for my students?" Sasuke nodded and turned to the dry-erase board and picked up a blue marker. Blue... as if he didn't see enough of it already. Whatever. On his way out of the classroom, he saw some of the third period students walking into the room. Just to humor his sadist mind, he stopped around the corner and waited for the bell. Hell, since he was class president he didn't have to worry about being late at all. All he had to do was say that he was working on plans for the up-coming leave from campus. That was easily believable, right? Hearing the girly screams from the freshmen was funny enough to make him smile. What had he written you ask? This:

_Third period class of Professor Umino Iruka,  
The instructor has stepped out to apprehend a delinquent at the moment. He has  
requested that I contact with you in some way. Since I'm running late, this is it-- The most  
well behaved girl this period can have lunch with me.  
Uchiha Sasuke  
P.S. Make sure to erase the board for the professor?_

As he walked to room 387 for his psychology class with Professor Hatake Kakashi, he couldn't help but snicker at the many girls that would compete for such a trivial prize. Sitting to eat lunch at the same table as Uchiha Sasuke? No doubt that would be the most well behaved class he had the whole semester. Still mentally scolding himself for doing something like that, no one else would anyway, he opened the door to the classroom. Immediately, he was bombarded.

"Sasuke-kuuuuuuuuun!!" Yes, the raving fan-girls had added the suffix after they heard Naruto use it and found out that Sasuke embraced his heritage with open arms. That was part of the reason he _hated_ the blonde. Because of him, he was cursed to be called Sasuke-kun until the day he was damned to Hell. It irked his nerves the way they squealed it out like they were all one of his best friends. God how he just wanted to take the belt from his ugly blue pants and wrap it around the scrawny neck of every. Last. One of them. Especially the rambling, pink blob that he was forced to sit next to. God, and Naruto was being held so he couldn't distract her... Damn.

"Sasuke-kun!!" she gushed out from her seat next to him in the second row desk. "How was you're morning, Sasuke-kun?"

He folded his hands, as was custom at a time like this, and placed his mouth behind them. Resting his elbows on the desk, he leaned over and stared at the board in front of the class. "Fine, Haruno-san, and yours?" Oh God, why did he use the _default_ response? She was bound to start a _huge_ conversation now. Oh, how he wished he could get away with banging his head against the desk like Naruto could. _Lucky bastard, _he thought bitterly.

"Mine was peachy thanks for asking!!" _Ew..._ "Why, in first period, Ino and I were able to get the class to play truth or dare!!"

"Is that so?" _Damn you!! Stop spitting out subconscious phrases!!_

"Yes it is!! Even Naruto played with us!!"

_Of course he did_. "And what did he choose?" _Wait a second, why the hell am I asking?_

"He picked truth because everyone else said dares for him would be too much for school. Just because he looks frail doesn't mean he isn't adventurous. He's quite the competitor, and he's pretty good with dares. He'd probably do anything. Well, anyway, he almost answered the question too!! Everyone was shocked!!"

_Shocked? At Naruto? What the hell could he have said...? _"Really? What was his question?"

"Oh," she waved her hand at him to dismiss the subject, "you don't want to hear about that. It's so silly, and you hate him anyway don't you? It can't be used as black-mail if other people know about it already."

"I can't say that I'm not curious though. What could he have possibly said that _surprised_ people?"

"Hm? OH!! His question was did he thi--"

"SASUKE-KUN!!"

_Oh, God..._ At that moment, a chill entered the room. Along with it came death, and its name was Yamanaka.

"Ino you pig!! Get out of here!! WE were having a very important conversation!"

"I highly doubt that Sakura..." She wrapped her arms around Sasuke's neck and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Sasuke-kun would never want to talk to you about anything. Right Sasuke-kun?"

"Wrong. I was having a very in depth discussion before you latched on to me like you were suffering from an injection of E. Now, I suggest that you refrain from touching me, least you'd like me to get a restraining order that prohibits you from even entering this campus."

Ino pouted before retreating back to her standing position. "Did you have to say it without any emotion at all? You make it sound as though I'm some sort of birr."

"Un..."

"Humph!!" With that, she turned on her heel and strode over to her desk next to her pals Shikamaru and Chouji. They greeted her, and she instantly forgot about her sour mood.

"So, Haruno-san, what were you saying?" Sakura looked at him with a devilish glint in her eyes. "What?"

"I'm not saying another word unless you agree to call me 'Sakura.'"

"You're not serious?" She nodded vigorously. "But, Haruno-san, calling you that would decrease the respect in ranking where I'm from."

"Well, I'm from here, and I want you to call me Sakura," she said quite matter of factlly.

He sighed before looking up at her again. "Fine, Sakura..."

"Aw... no san?"

"No."

"Gonna tell me why?" she asked poking him in the arm.

"No."

"Fine. Well, his question was this: Do you think Sasuke is hot?"

Sasuke could've sworn he choked on his air when he heard that. Slipping his mask back in place, he turned to her with a calm look, quite contrary to his current hysteria. "Who the hell asked that question?"

"Kiiiiiiiba."

"Oh. Remind me to kill him in our next class together."

"But, Sasuke-kun, you don't have any other classes with him. He's in my homeroom though if you'd like me to pass a message along to him."

_What do you know? Fan-girls aren't the worst after all..._ "Alright then, Sakura. Why don't you tell him that I will hunt him down after school and make the week long retreat a living Hell for him if he ever decides to play truth or dare at my expense ever again in this lifetime or any others?"

"Uhm... ok..."

"Thanks. Oh, one more thing?"

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

"What was Naruto's answer?"

She giggled for a second before responding. "He didn't have a chance to tell us, but he had on the worst blush I'd ever seen him with when Professor Asuma came in."

"Really? Thanks Sakura." And with that said, he sat, chin resting on his folded arms, and thought as the bell signalized that they all waited for their usually late professor.


	2. Revelations and Emotions

_Chapter: 2_

"Iruka-sensei…" Boy, Naruto was doing a lot of whining today wasn't he? "What did you mean by: don't you think there's a reason for that?"

The man tugging the boy down the corridor turned to him and smiled. "Exactly what it sounds like, Naruto."

"Eh? I don't get it Iruka-sensei..."

"Why are you calling me 'sensei' anyway? I thought only Sasuke did that?"

Naruto blushed and watched his feet move with new interest. "I've been with Sasuke for a while you know. I mean, I've known him since elementary school, and well, I guess he's rubbed off on me a bit. He was always on the student council, and I was always in trouble. Detentions were usually served with him as the supervisor. I didn't like it, but I needed someone to talk to."

Iruka chuckled as they turned the corner to the math wing. "I see." Che... yeah right. He didn't know that during middle school he got his ass whooped on the regular basis by the Uchiha, did he? No. He didn't know that they'd come to a silent agreement when high school started either. Instead of getting his ass kicked and having to come up with a half- thought excuse, Sasuke would ravish him whenever he saw fit, and then he would make sure that Naruto stayed out of trouble with his seat in the council room.

"Hm... Iruka-sense-" he shook his head "- I mean, Uncle Iruka... Where are we going?"

"Didn't I say to see Kakashi?"

"Huh? I thought you were kidding about that? You know where he is?!"

He laughed again. "Of course I do. What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't know where my co-workers where during their breaks?"

"You know, it isn't really his break when he should be teaching a class. I think you should talk to your boyfriend about that for me."

This time, Iruka laughed for real. Sounds _really _escaped his mouth and ran down the hallway. "You really are something Naruto. You know that?"

"I am??" Yeah, what was he talking about? There was nothing special about him at all. Hearing that was, shocking.

"Yes," the instructor said with a nod. "Anyone who didn't know you as well as I would take you for an imbecile right away. But, on the contrary, you're very observant."

"I am? Huh... I never realized that..."

"Most people don't, so it's understandable."

Naruto sighed out of boredom with the direction that their conversation was going. "Are we almost there Uncle Iruka? This is a long ass walk... But that can't be why he's always so late..." He put a finger to his mouth and scrunched up his scarred face in thought. "What the hell..?"

"You think on that Naruto. We're almost there anyway."

"Thank God for that one!! So, where exactly is there?"

"The library."

"What?! The library is only two halls from his classroom... Why the hell did it take this long?!"

"This is the _old_ library. Not many people in the school know about it. Before the third principal... left, no one was allowed to even enter the building. But now, Miss Tsunade says anyone is able to go in and attack the old books."

"There's an old library? Why didn't I know about it exactly? I thought I knew the school's entire layout…"

"Well, only this year's senior class and the staff know about it."

"Why can't anyone use it?"

"People couldn't use it because there were… _advanced_ books inside. I haven't the slightest clue how they got there, but it's been so long since anyone has been in there, and no one knows where they are. Well… almost no one." A smile played its way across his face when they turned the last corner to the library: leaning against the frame of the large wooden doors was the psychology professor. He was apparently indulged in a book that was…

"Kakashi, what is that?" Naruto asked pointing as his child-like nature took over him.

"Hm? A book. I've been dying to see how this one turns out." He stated his claim without looking up for even a fraction of a second.

"Ka-ka-shi…" Iruka whined from his spot beside Naruto. "Don't pretend like you don't see me standing here."_ Why is Uncle Iruka whining like that?_

"What would ever posses you to bring him to this place?" the grey haired man asked in a bored tone.

"I wanted him to talk to you Kakashi."

"Well, I wasn't _talking_ to _you_ Iruka. I wanted to know why Naruto here would bring such a whinny man to a place where we're _supposed_ to be quiet."

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Huh?"

"Fine. Keep acting like that and see where it puts you in my book." Iruka turned around and crossed his arms, sticking up his nose in the process like a prissy little school girl. (You know the kind: the one's that get upset because you wouldn't buy them a soda after they said your hair looked nice. Yeah, that's them.) "Nowhere short of the dog-house. I'll tell you that much is true." _Why are they acting so weird like this?_

"Aww… Don't be a little bitch Iruka…"

"Kakashi!!" he wailed spinning around. His shriek was brought to an abrupt stop when his lips met up with the other man's. Kakashi just stood there with his lips puckered and his eyes closed; eyelashes lying lightly over his cheeks. At last, he pulled back, leaving Iruka a tad bit dazed and Naruto a tad bit triumphant.

"I told you, it's a library," Kakashi stated as he stood back to his full height. "You shouldn't have brought Iruka."

"Cha!! I was right wasn't I Uncle Iruka?! You two _are _dating, aren't you??" The blonde student jumped up and down in excitement at his new revelation. Hell, he was only joking earlier.

"Calm down Naruto," Kakashi lagged out, placing his hands in his pockets. He went taut for a second as if an idea had suddenly hit him. Bending over to the boy's ear he whispered, "If you're good, I'll tell you what _else _happens outside of school."

"K-Kakashi!!" Iruka pleaded. "Don't tease like that!!"

"Who am I teasing? Him or you?"

"Ah!" He didn't even attempt to stop the blush that was crawling its way across his face. "Kakashi cut it out!! I brought him here for a reason, you know."

"You'd better hope it's a good one too… interrupting my reading like that…"

"You could just stop reading your little porn for a day and pay attention for once."

_So that's what's in there..._

"How could you say that Iruka?? My porn is where I get my ideas for us… I thought you liked that??"

"You IDIOT!!" Iruka just babbled until his fist came crashing down on his lover's head. "Why the _hell_ would you say something like that in front of him?!"

"Come on now, I can tell it doesn't _bother_ bother you. It doesn't look like he minds either. Do you, Naruto?" He shook his head. "Toldja."

"That's beside the point Kakashi!! I brought him here to talk to you, and you're just turning everything into a joke!!"

Kakashi sighed and looked out of the large window at the end of the hall with longing. "Alright, Ru-ki... Go back to your class, and I'll get back to mine when we're finished talking. 'K?"

"Ruki?? Gees... yeah, okay. Hatake, I'm serious about this one. It isn't like the other times."

"Yes, yes," the older man said waving a hand to shoo him off. "I know, you talk about it enough."

With a huff and a quick turn, Iruka was on his way back to his teen-living classroom, fully unaware of how easy this next period was going to be. "I Hope you do a good job here."

"Same right back to ya," Kakashi replied.

Once he was sure that he had turned the corner, Naruto turned his attention on Kakashi. "Hey, can I ask you something before we start?"

"Of course." _A question huh? Wonder what--_

"Does it seem like Uncle Iruka is PMS-ing sometimes?"

Kakashi just blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Does he get all bitchy like a girl during PMS?"

"That's a serious question isn't it?" A blonde head bobbed up and down, nodding vigorously; prompting another sigh from his teacher. "Yes, I suppose he does _sometimes_. But then again, what man doesn't?"

"A lot of men do that?"

"Of course. It's just, unless we aren't..." air quote "_toppers_, we get all pissy. But, if you're like me and _not_ Iruka, you're probably going to get really angry for some reason or another."

"I see... Maybe that's why..." He trailed off as he dwelled on the subject a little longer than he intended.

"Hm? That's why what Naruto??"

"Huh? Oh! It's nothing, really. I was just thinking about something."

"Your boyfriend?"

"I don't have one. Haven't got a girlfriend either. It's pretty sad when you think about it... But then again, I don't suppose I'd be _allowed_ to get one either." He did a retard-dance when he said allowed for emphasis. It was _pretty_ clear that he was mocking someone.

"Allowed? By who?" Talk about interest. It didn't even seem like Naruto was trying to stop his words, and it didn't seem like it mattered since Kakashi was reading at the same time.

Naruto sighed as he reached his limit. "A person. That's confidential sooooooo..."

_Parent no doubt. _"Alright. Well," he mused closing his book with a pleasant snap, "I don't suppose you know why Iruka brought you down here?"

"Ah... Uncle Iruka has been a bit... wary lately. He takes everything I say to heart and... Well, I think I upset him in his classroom."

"Any implications as to what it was?"

"Yes." He screwed up his face and leaned against the wall. "He started screaming at me afterwards. I'd say that means something."

"So, what did you say?"

Naruto sighed once more, this time much more heavily than the last. "In blunt, I said I should jump off the school."

"Anything else?"

"I said no one wanted me... And they don't. I know this for a fact, so I can say it can't I?"

"Is that it?"

"Uhm... I said anywhere is better than where I'm living now. And believe me, it is... I can't complain to anyone about it though."

"Parents can't do much about the situation?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Well, let's start with the caring part shall we? Why don't you think anyone cares about you? Iruka obviously does, and you apparently take some sort of liking to him. I mean, you do call him _Uncle_ Iruka."

"Well... he doesn't count. I've known him since elementary school, and he's always been there. It's automatic that he would be removed from that degrading assumption."

"Oh, big words huh? And your parents--?"

"Aren't in any part of my life."

"I see." _Great. This is just what I need: Iruka giving me some other I-hate-my-mom-and-dad-and-they-don't-love-me-case. But, I'm so not getting laid if I don't do it... Damn him!!_

"No, you really don't... Can we move on from this?"

"Sure. So, what's with the whole jump off the school thing?"

"It was the first thing that came to mind. So I said it. I'm not planning on killing myself. If I was, I would be dead already. That's something you don't have to worry about from me."

"Well, are you going to elaborate on any of this for me?"

"No. Uncle Iruka might trust you, but I sure as hell don't."

"I see. Well, I suppose that we should get to class, no?"

"Che... yeah." He lowered his voice as if he was talking to himself. "Just what I need: to Uchiha _again_."

"I'm sorry?"

"Nothing. Get your book and let's go. As much as I hate to admit it, I would like to get a start on my project, _Professor _Hatake."

The thirty year old sighed again. "If you're going to say it with sarcasm, you might as well just call me Kakashi all the time."

"Really? You'll let me do that?"

"Eh, why not? I don't care about such trivial things." He started walking down the hall, and Naruto fell into padding step next to him. "I just want to make sure I don't fall asleep restless tonight. That tends to happen when Iruka gets upset." What the hell? Why was he telling him this? It isn't like he wanted to know about his "uncle's" sex life. Let alone his psychology teacher's. Oh God... and this was a long ass walk too.

"Alright Kakashi. You're obviously trying to win my trust, no? Well, in order to even get _close _to that, you need to tell me something about yourself... other than the fact that you're... involved with Uncle Iruka."

He chuckled lightly behind his hand. "Tired of it now?"

"Yes, very much so..."

"Alright... Something about me huh? Well, I'm the kind of person that doesn't like sharing things that involve only me and don't embarrass anyone else. Also, I tend to be a bit secretive and cling to the 'if' theory. That would be that _if _a question is asked, I often wonder what would happen _if _I answered it; I don't usually answer them as you can tell. Finally, I like to keep to myself and keep personal things personal."

"I didn't learn anything from that you freaky man..."

"I'm no freaky man, but, you have your privacy, let me keep mine."

"Fine... It's not like I wanna get to know you anyway..." the cerulean-eyed boy grumbled as he stuck his hands in his pockets and slouched a bit.

"Che... you're trying to use psychology on the psychology _teacher_? Oh, you're smart, Naruto. Any normal student would not have thought to try something so stupid. I must say, you aren't as dumb as you look."

"What are you talking about you crazy bag of hormones? I wasn't trying anything. I was dead-ass serious. If you're gonna be an ass about it, there's no point in trying unless there are certain circumstances."

"And they would be...?"

"None of your business. I don't know you enough to start spilling out my feeble feelings and trifling thoughts to you." _Hell, I don't tell them to anyone but Uncle... and that's just because he's only half listening. _"Besides, I wouldn't tell you even if I did trust you. You seem like the kind of person that would totally rape his students at any ample chance he received."

"You think so huh?"

"I do. And the fact that you so willingly read porn in school just confirms it for me."

_Hm. This is no ordinary kid. This one is extremely insightful. He's usually loud and obnoxious, not caring at all what happens or what consequences he could get in the after effects. But, he truly appears to be very conscious about his feelings and image. I wonder why? It looks like a trauma case, but I don't sense that anything is wrong in the home environment other than normal teenage-parent issues. What the hell is up with this one? _He hadn't realized he was staring until the nearly ran into his classroom door. That was just genius wasn't it? Sure, prove how much you want to know by just subtly running into objects and walls. Uber smart Kakashi.

"Hey, when we go in... what am I supposed to do?"

Kakashi looked at him in wonder and awe. He was so innocent and virgin, but he appeared to be so hurt and tarnished at times. Like now: He was trying his damnedest to seem somewhat uncaring, but he looked deeply perturbed and unhappy.

_Was he always like this?? Had he always showed symptoms of depression, and I just never noticed? _Shaking his head to clear himself of the saddening thoughts until later, he gave his answer. "Just go sit in your seat. I'll be assigning groups for the project in a few minutes."

"Oh, right. Project. Hey, that thing is on feelings or something, right?"

"Yes, but, how did you even know _about _the project? I haven't told any of my students, and I was planning for it to be a surprise."

Naruto flashed him a smile that threatened to rip his scarred cheeks open again. Kakashi silently went over scenarios in his head to discover where they came from as he heard his response. "Well, I've gotten a lot stealthier since I've been at the police head-quarters. That Jiraiya guy is really cool... if you take out the super pervert part though... not really. Well, it isn't that hard to hear you and Uncle Iruka discussing your lessons since you're usually shouting that this or that is a bad idea."

Kakashi quirked a brow at the boy but decided on holding off any further analysis until after the groups were announced. He put his hand on the knob and grasped it tightly. "Shall we enter?" he asked merrily.

Naruto shrugged. "Why not?" Kakashi opened the door and stepped in to a rambunctious room full of hyper-active teens.

_Work is bliss, is it not?_ he mused to himself. Why did he like to watch the kids flirt and get flattened? Why did he like to see two guys making out in the back of the classroom? He just did. He loved coming to work on Mondays the most since it had been two whole days since the students had seen each other. Sighing happily, he waltzed over to stand in front of his whiteboard. Too bad he had to wait until his favorite day. Today was his last work day for the week.

"Well!" he greeted encouragingly as he clapped his hands together. The class settled down at the motion that signaled the long-waited start of the learning session. "As you all know, the third grading quarter is coming to a close. Of course you do, that means your mid-semester retreat trip is coming up." There were a few cheers, so he raised his hand to silence them. "But, this also means that your third semester projects are expected of you as well." A few groans this time, but he once again only raised his hand to cease the noise. As he placed it back to his side, he sensed an irregularity in the classroom's atmosphere. Glancing over to his right, he caught sight of Naruto. He sat in the very first row and column, right next to the window. He was intent on staring at something. Ignoring his natural curiosity, the man turned back to his class.

"Now, there are certain expectations that must be met to get a decent grade on this test. It shouldn't be that hard since you're going to be split into three-man groups. Cells if you will. If it helps, imagine that you're playing a game of sorts. Ninjas or something like that gathering information for their leader." Chuckling at himself, he pressed on. "Most of these are teams that have been formed recently, but, with the new additions to our class, I had to change some things around so that the groups would flow right. Are you ready to find out who you'll be working with?" Leaning back and holding himself up with his hand, he reached on his desk for a clipboard. Using the hand that was stationed on the wooden work area to support him, he crossed his legs at the ankles. Heaving a tired sigh, he began to read.

"Team one: Kiba, Hinata, and Neji." Kiba looked across his row and targeted the older guy with fear. Damn, this was going to be a hard project for him, wasn't it? _Man, with Neji there... how am I supposed to get her to agree to a date? Shit..._He sighed._ It's times like this that I miss Shino... Damn him and his 'space.' Hinata is nice and all but..._ He turned to the teen that was seated in the corner, as usual, and watched him with a sad, longing gaze. _Lucky bitch... whoever gets 'im._

"Team two: Ino, Shikamaru, and Shino." Ino warily looked to find him. The Shino kid had always reminded her of a beetle or something. He always wore dark glasses, and he always wore his jacket collar flipped up. It wasn't to be cool, she soon realized, but to cover his face instead. He was creepy. She spotted him at last in the corner desk of the classroom. _Gees... working with someone scary like that, I'm bound to get things done. If not for the grade, I'll work well to stay away from him. Well, at least I have Shikamaru in the group. I would've died if I was all alone with this guy._

"Team three: Kabuto, Tenten, and Chouji." Tenten eyed the large boy. _Chouji huh? Well, I guess I can live a couple of weeks without seeing Neji. He's only with his cousin, I mean; nothing is going to happen, right? _She shook her head. _No. He isn't morally corrupt like **some **people._ She turned an angry leer over to Sasuke who was sitting with a rather solemn look on his face compared to his usual scowl. Her hating mind finally realized that what she was thinking about the younger student was wrong. _I guess it isn't his fault though... I wonder what's got him so down?_

"Team four: Kankurou, Temari, and... Goten?? Who's Goten?"

"I am!!" shouted a small boy with wild hair. Yes, his style consisted of at least eight, but no more than ten, rather large spikes. An orange pendant swung on the chain about his neck. "I just got in from Tokyo!! Foreign exchanged student. They switched me out for... Konohamaru I think? Yeah, that's right. Sorry they didn't tell you. Looks like they changed your plans around as well." He sat back down and smiled at his slightly surprised teacher.

"... Oh! _Son_ Goten, right?" The boy nodded. "That's right; you're the famous martial arts kid, no?"

"If I was my father's son!! I'm not that famous though. That's my brother, Go_han._"

"Mind if I asked what your father's name was?" Kakashi asked with an odd look on his face. I mean really now, who names their kids alike one after the o--

"Goku."

--ther? "Goku huh??" A long forgotten and distant memory sailed its way across his mind. "Goten, let me talk to you before the break after class, alright?"

"Okay," he stated cheerily.

"As for his fellow group members, the boy is just like Konohamaru personality wise. It should all still work out fine for you all. And Temari, be nice him. This one doesn't seem to be a pervert like the other kid."

"Hm," was all the girl offered. She was intent on thinking what she was going to do about this small problem. For some reason, Gaara had always done research for the group of siblings. And it always turned out beautifully in the end. There was always an A to be got with him. Kankurou was the typist of course. And she... just ordered them around. Even though Gaara was the smallest, yet still most feared bully, he did submit to his older sister. Which was great, but what about the group he was in? She wasn't worried that she wouldn't do well on her own, but would his group get anything done? The only leader-type person left in the classroom was the Uchiha. Kakashi wasn't an idiot, so he wasn't going to pair _them_ up together.

"Team five: Lee, Gaara, and Yamiko."

"Aww..." the pink-eyed girl whined from her desk behind Naruto. "Why, Hatake-sensei?" He sighed, another sensei kid. Asian people... Can't they all just speak _absolute_ English like Lee and the teachers? Or is that an impossibility because they like to insult others without them knowing?

"Because Yamiko, I couldn't put you with Naruto, Sakura, _or_ Sasuke."

"But, whyyyyyyyy?"

He let out an extremely exasperated sigh. "Alright. With Naruto, you will no doubt be hanging on him so that he'll talk to you." Strike one. "Sakura... The two of you won't get anything done with your retard-chit-chat." Strike two. "And... you and Sasuke aren't the best of buds you know." Strike three and she's out!!

"I guess... But did you really have to put me with _them_?"

"I figure that they're just like Sasuke and Sakura. What's the problem there?"

"... You aren't serious... Are you?"

"I very much am. I did my best to get these groups right. I made sure I didn't pair up any stereotypical groups. I didn't pair up anyone who weren't too good of friends. And I didn't pair up any couples."

"Che... yeah, okay. You're really losing it Hatake-sensei."

"Explain that to me please??" He reached into his internal jacket pocket.

"In case you haven't noticed, the groups you've been picking have been becoming more and friendlier. Soon, you're going to have incest with Hinata and Neji, and gay lovers with Gaara and Lee!!"

"I'm sorry what?" he asked as he looked up from his tiny library book. When did he pull that out??

"Nothing. Ignorance is bliss I suppose..." _For being outcast, I sure know a lot about this place that other people don't._

"Stop whispering and let me finish. Group six: Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup." He received no argument from the triplets that usually passed with flying colors. "Oh, I'm done. Well, the last group would of course be: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. They _are _the only people left after all, and I always pair them up regardless. I think it's funny how that always happens, don't you..? Well, you've got your groups. Get together and decide on a typical emotion." There was a scuffle of chairs scooting cross the floor as the groups got together to discuss their topics. One group didn't even have to budge though since they were all sitting in a line. Silence fell about them like there was something cloaking the noise from outside of their small space.

Gingerly, Naruto raised his hand. Kakashi looked at him for a second before stating the default teacher response.

"Yes, Naruto?"

"We've picked our topic, Kakashi." The entire time since he'd walked into that classroom, he never stopped staring out of that window. He was so lazily watching whatever it was with sorrow and longing.

"Oh?" he asked raising the eyebrow hidden by his hair. "What is it?"

Finally, the boy turned from his portal of angst and gave his answer with a sad, weak smile. "We pick love."


	3. Confusion

I love this chapter. It makes me smile so much!! Tell me what you think. Oh PPG and DBZ was need to fill spots last time. Yamiko... hmm look around my deviantart account. this is there too. Happy reading!!

_Chapter: 3- Confusion_

"What?" Kakashi asked as though he hadn't gotten it.

"Ask anyone, they'll all agree that it's the one we should do," the melancholy blonde said with a wary chuckle. "I doubt that they'll think anything else than what I suggest in this _one _matter."

The silver- haired man looked at the blonde for a long moment before he decided to confront the rest of the seventh group. "Alright then. Sasuke, do you honestly think that your group wants to do _love_?"

"As trifle it is an emotion, I must agree on this one. It would serve to learn more of something I myself don't understand fully. I would have gone for _lust_, but Naruto acted quickly so..."

Kakashi's eye twitched, how many times? Two? Three? Ten maybe? Aw, who cares? "Fine. Sakura?"

"Of _course _I want to do love!! It _is _one of the most cherished and irreplaceable emotions that I contain!!"

Huffing in defeat, he reached for his clipboard. On his way to pick it up though, he knocked a confiscated notebook to the floor. After quickly scribbling down the assignment to team 7, he bent over to pick it up. _Uzumaki Naruto, eh? I remember this... Iruka gave it to me to return the other day... Oops-- I wonder what's inside though..._ He opened the cover of the notebook as he walked around his desk. Totally ignoring the warnings on the first page, he turned it when he sat in his chair. A single piece of paper fell out from the folds between the bound pages. Picking it up off of his lap, he unfolded the multi-creased writing and began to read. This is what it said:

_Butterflies. They're so beautiful. _

_Oh so delicate and charming. _

_But, they are so gentle as well. _

_Easily, one so great a life can be taken. _

_Once a butterfly's wing is broken, it can no longer fly. _

_Without that ability, it is crushed _

_By its own weight coming down atop the feeble creature. _

_It would cry out in endless agony if it could be heard. _

_Screaming _

_And weeping. _

_Until he comes. _

_They would thank the reaper for finally taking _

_Them from so evil a world. _

_I'm like that butterfly._

_Rapidly falling from the sky._

_In a spiral of hate and fear._

_Misery is enveloping me._

_A wing can be broken so many ways. _

_Torn, ripped, maybe even taken from it. _

_Those large beautiful wings. _

_The things that make a butterfly whole and living. _

_They can so easily be taken by a person. _

_Someone who is cruel without feelings. _

_Without a heart. _

_Without a care. _

_Without someone to whom they can vent frustrations to._

_I'm like that butterfly._

_Rapidly falling from the sky._

_In a spiral of hate and fear._

_Misery is starting to consume me._

_The rain can be a killer as well._

_Those poor creatures. _

_Once they are caught, _

_They know that their death _

_Is inevitable. _

_With that sad knowledge, they will die. _

_Unable to return home. _

_Unable to tell anyone what they were feeling _

_Those few moments _

_Before they hit the ground. _

_I'm like that butterfly._

_Rapidly falling from the sky._

_In a spiral of hate and fear._

_Misery is a friend that I know well._

_That rain. _

_That horrible rain. _

_The rain is a beautiful beast in its own self. _

_Life bearing water that falls from the heavens to serve us. _

_But so mercilessly it will takes one's being. _

_Dark and damp. _

_Unwilling to give a reason as to why _

_It chose to torment whom it did. _

_It just casts the creature into darkness. _

_And when the beautiful thing reaches light _

_From God's haven--_

_It will trust no one._

_Only the reaper that brought them some happiness._

_Death was his gift._

_And it was loved._

_I have fallen from the sky._

_In a spiral of hate and fear._

_Misery is all I now know in my life._

_Shut off from everything else._

_It is broken._

_I am this butterfly._

_Yama No Yoni Miero_

One word ran through Kakashi's mind as he shut the paper neatly in the book. _Holy. Shit._ Okay, so it was two words. It wasn't like he was really worried with the count. A word was scratched out of that writing. An unfinished thought that was to be viewed by no one. That was certain. If not, he would have only settled for erasing the word. This though... This word was scribbled over, erased, and then scribbled over again with pen. Even the back side of the paper was scribbled across. _Uzumaki never seemed like the emo type of person but now..._

"Naruto!" he called as he schooled a bored look on his face to hide his panic. Maybe it was another Naruto. Maybe he just spelled his name wrong on the cover. But then again... How would Iruka get it?

Coming back to his senses he realized that the boy was standing over him. He didn't look sad in any way at all. "Yes, Kakashi?" he asked with a pleasant smile on his face.

Kakashi was shocked. How could someone like him have written anything remotely close to this? "Ah, is this _yours_? Iruka told me to give it to you."

"Of course it's mine! My name is right there, see?" he asked pointing. "For a teacher, you aren't too bright Kakashi." He collected his book and held it closely to his chest. "Hey... did you read it?"

"No," he said shaking is head. It was uncanny how easily the lie had slipped between his lips.

"Oh... I would've expected you to... Ah, well. Your loss." As he turned to leave he felt a hand fall on his upper arm.

"Naruto... Is there anything you want to talk about? I didn't read it, but there was a rather... insistent warning on the first page..."

"Oh that? It's nothing. I just don't want other students poking their noses in my things. Especially two..."

"Which two would those be?" Kakashi asked somewhat perplexed. _Enemies? Naruto? Those two just don't seem to flow properly for me._

"Koishinobu and Uchiha."

"Naruto... Don't you _work _with her?"

"Yes. What's your point?"

He shook his head. "Never mind. Just... go... Oh wait! Tell me something, what were you staring at out the window?"

The boy lowered his gaze to the ground and pulled his book closer to him. A serine look of dismay flashed its way across his features before retreating again. "The butterflies," he croaked out rather hoarsely. "The poor things have no idea... that the storm is coming... I pity them." He kept his gaze level with the floor for a while longer. At last he looked back at his teacher with his grey hair covering one of his eyes. The one with the scar that forever reminded him of his past. "Kakashi..."

"Hm?"

"I know you read it." He pulled the book closer still. "I _know _you did... It isn't closing against me correctly. I hold it like this often... There's a difference now. That one, the one I tore out, it isn't keeping the pages apart. You didn't have to lie about it. I wouldn't have minded that much."

"Naruto I--"

"I know you were just trying to keep your image up in my eyes. But, Uncle Iruka read it too. He read some of the other ones as well though. That's why he took the book. I don't know why he gave it back..." He turned to the window again. "I thought he was going to keep it forever..."

"Naruto... I did read it yes, but you have to tell me... What does it say on the bottom of the page?"

"...Yama no... yoni miero. It means: It looks like a mountain to me. I learned that one directly from..." he paused as if he'd forgotten. "Koishinobu since she washes the dishes."

"One more..." Naruto looked at him utterly distraught. Our beloved tiny Naruto began sobbing, knowing what was about to be asked of him. "What was that one word that you... didn't want seen?"

"The reason I didn't want it seen was because I didn't want anyone to know what it said." He stood back to his full height and looked the man square in the eye. "But that only makes clear sense doesn't it? Sorry that it was so obvious. Now, if that's all you need, I'd like to help my group discuss ideas for our presentation."

The man nodded and folded his hands. "Yes, you can go."

Naruto took two steps before looking back over his shoulder at the man. "I'm glad you didn't read the one about the flowers. Thank you for stopping after the first one; it was right after." And with those solemn words excreted from him, he went back to his cheery self. "Thanks for giving me back my notebook, Ka-ka-shiiiiii."

Astounded, he watched his pupil return to his seat and grace them with bubbly happiness once again. Wow. Such a confusing kid. He was almost like a girl the way he acted. So easily did he swing from one emotion to the next. It could be considered a mystery of the thing we call life.

_Uzumaki Naruto. _Kakashi mused to himself. _A student well worth watching over._ Naruto didn't want to be watched like a specimen though. Hell, who would? Instead, he wanted to be yelled at. To get grounded for something he would consider stupid. He wanted his folks to discipline him but still show that they cared. He wanted his parents to be involved in his life for once. About something. Anything. But they won't even be at his funeral...

((SKIP))

"SO!" Sakura gushed as she stretched out her arms above her head. "We're going to go to Sasuke-kun's house Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, right? And mine on the two T-days? Starting next week, no?"

"Yup!" Naruto said smiling at her.

"Oi... What about the weekends?" Sasuke asked suspiciously. "Those days have ample time to get in project work. And we could go to Dobe's house."

"Sorry, Uchiha. I don't think anyone should be over there right now. Besides, we need to take a break from the thing _some_time." Naruto patted the back of his hand and pulled it back at lightning speed when he realized what he might be getting himself into. He put his lousy appendage in his lap and scolded it to stay there. _What the FUCK was I thinking? _Much to his mortification, Sasuke reached under the table and took it in his, gently rubbing the back of it with his thumb. A blush crossed his scarred face because he knew he could just get away with that one. They were in the back of the _outside_ break-area under the biggest of the cherry trees. The fold out table was so small that they had to sit on their legs to fit under it. It was comfortable, but think of the grass stains!! Good thing they were on a towel, right?

"And why can't anyone come over _exactly_?" Sakura asked. "We do need a break, but you can't deprive your house from being ramshackled by us. It's not fair Naruto."

Sasuke sighed. "Leave the dobe alone. There's obviously something going on that he doesn't want anyone knowing about. The _least_ we can do is drop this one subject." He gave her a bored stare and she deflated.

"I-I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun... Since when do you stick up for him anyway?"

"I don't. I just know what it's like to have someone invade your privacy." He stopped moving his thumb when he said that. "It isn't a great feeling." He tightened his hand a bit, making Naruto gasp lightly. He loosened up immediately.

"Hm? Naruto, are you okay?" The pink-haired girl asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. I just got bit by something is all," was his shaky answer as Sasuke began running his thumb back over his knuckles. It was almost like he was apologizing. But Naruto just blew that thought from his mind. _Yeah, right. And I'm Joan of Arc too._

"If you say so. So Sasuke-kun!! Are you excited about the mid-semester retreat?"

"Hmp. I don't know about excited, but I might be looking forward to it." He turned his stare up to the sky and saw the grey clouds moving closer from over the horizon.

"Any... _special_ reason?" she inquired while she swirled her finger around a fallen blossom on the table.

He huffed. "No. Just a chance to get away from my demanding life. I don't even know who Neji's boarding me with yet, so there's no point in getting too happy about it."

"Neji is picking the boarding pairs?" Naruto asked, hardly trying to hide the glimmer of hope that he so desperately clung to.

"Che... yeah. I'm kind of worried about that. You brought it up earlier, remember."

"Ooooh... well, Uchiha, I was joking when I said that anyway. I don't know much about the guy, really."

"Yeah but..." He sighed. "It still makes you think though."

"Why Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked tilting her head. She was plainly lost.

"I have five-million and one fan girls, why can't I have some fan-boys as well? The same thing goes for him, and I know how he feels about being mobbed. He'll probably pair up with someone that shows no interest in him whatsoever... Or with someone he admires..." He was quiet for a moment. "Hell, I would."

"Well Sasuke-kun, I don't think you have to worry about that. I was talking to Hinata today, and she said Neji paired himself up with Kankurou. Apparently, they've been hanging out quite a bit as of late."

"You don't say..." He removed his hand and ghosted his fingers over the tanned set below his. "I'm glad to hear it. You know, I never thought otaku-chicks could be much help."

"Oh... uh... I don't know what that word means, Sasuke-kun." She blushed and tucked a lock of wispy pink hair behind her ear. "We don't talk about out heritage at my house, Mother thinks it's a bad idea to get tangled up in it when we live in America."

"If you can't figure the word out, I'm not telling you. But, it _is _a compliment, I'll tell you that much." He played his fingers across the tanned surface of the other boy's hand. For some reason, Naruto turned his over as he leaned against the trunk of the tree. He usually did it at home, but he was at school and wasn't really used to lounging. Nevertheless, he was comfortable. Until the pale hand of Uchiha fell on his. Itty-bitty Naruto sat down cross-legged and placed his chin on his fist. Releasing air through his lips so that they bounced up and down making a trumpet noise, he argued with himself. Deciding against his better judgment, he limply closed his fingers about the slightly larger hand. He muffled a groan in his throat when the pale set _wrapped _around his. He can't say he didn't encourage it though. Well, as long as it didn't lead anywhere else, he was okay. I mean, he wasn't exactly asking for sex right? Right. He was anything but an idiot. He had to see that.

Naruto sighed and tipped his head back to the sky. "Hm?" He blinked a bit before it actually hit him. "The storm's a lot closer now," he said rather gravely. "We should go inside before... we get wet."

"Are you afraid of the water, Naruto?" Sakura asked somewhat mockingly.

He shook his head at her silly assumption. "No, Sakura. I was thinking that we have to stay in that cold ass school. If we're wet, it isn't going to be so comfortable, you know? And plus..." He looked around him at the garden full of flowers and insects, no doubt his favorites among them.

"And plus what, Dobe?" Sasuke asked a bit intrigued. What could really make him shut-up? Naruto, quiet? Yeah, that's really something.

The blonde boy sighed. "It's nothing, really." He sat in silence contemplating that morning's events so far. His truth or dare game, his homeroom exercises, his and Sasuke's encounter in the hall. He blushed at that one. And then he remembered Kakashi confronting him about his notebook. His notebook? "Shiiiiiiiiiii-et!!" He untangled his fingers and reached over to his book bag. When he pulled it onto his lap the momentum caused him to slam into Sasuke's side. He didn't really care though; he was busy digging through his bag's contents. After he couldn't find it, he stood up and tossed the bag to the ground.

"Dobe! What the hell?" Sasuke cried when the hefty bag landed on in his lap.

"Uchiha! Do me a favor? I swear, I will _never_ ask you to do something and expect it to get done again." He took a breath. "I need you to get that and take it to lunch when you go if I'm not back by then." Sasuke nodded and he started off his trot to the door. "Thanks, Sasuke!" he cried waving over his shoulder.

_He called me Sasuke?_ He thought with a look of bizarre puzzlement on his face. That was a first...

Running down the hallways as fast as his legs could carry him, Naruto's heart and mind raced at a mile a minute. "ShitshitshitshitshitshitSHIT!!" _Dammit!! How the hell could I leave it there?! What the fuck is wrong with me today?? I'm doing all kinds of crazy-ass shit. _He skidded to a halt in front of Kakashi's door. _I hope no one's here_, he thought as he gulped pass the huge lump in his throat. Throwing the door open he froze. That... Goten kid was sitting on Kakashi's desk, legs spread out wide with Kakashi standing between them. He had his hands planted firmly on the desk on either side of the boy's thighs, and, of course, his uniform pants were around his ankles. Sadly, the boy had his arms wrapped around his teacher's neck from before their kiss was interrupted. Naruto took in the shock as they stared at him with the deer-in-headlights-look. After the bell signaling the first lunch rang, Naruto gathered his wits, stepped inside, and shut the door.

"Sorry Kakashi." He made a beeline for his desk and sat in it. "I forgot where I put my notebook--" He stood up "--and I'm replaying third period." After that, he was just talking to himself. "I sat there, and then I went and _got_ the notebook. Uchiha was trying to rape my foot and I jumped like holy hell... AHA!!" He raced to the back of the classroom and ducked behind a desk in the corner. It was the unoccupied one, not Shino's. He reached under it and pulled out his red book. Standing back up, he waltzed to the door. "Kakashi... you of ALL people should know to lock the door." He opened it and threw the lock. "I'll do it for you this time... Oh, and I won't tell Uncle Iruka. Promise!" he said crossing his heart. With that, he was gone, leaving Goten and Kakashi in a state of total confusion. Yes, Kakashi made a mental note to explain all that before he got into trouble. He turned and looked at Goten as the door shut.

"Sumimasan..."

Kakashi sighed. "Don't worry about it."

Hearing the door click behind him, Naruto let out his breath that he wasn't aware he was holding. After a few seconds of walking to the lunchroom, he gave up and started laughing like he'd never be able to do it again. "I wonder what possessed him to do that? He perked when he heard what the kid's dad was called. Maybe he did that to Kakashi? Ah, whatever." Holding his notebook close, he stepped into the cafeteria. Looking around for a few seconds, he spotted his orange backpack. He walked over to the table of the student council members. They always sat there. No matter what. Just them. Losers. That's what he thought of them, they were all losers that didn't deserve to eat lunch in the same room as normal people. What were their names again? Oh, right: Neji, Tenten, Lee, Sasuke, Gaara, Kabuto, and Hinata.

Sasuke was the youngest, and Lee was the only normal person there. Well, he wasn't normal, but he wasn't a prude. Hinata neither, but she was weird. She was always blushing for no reason. He finally noticed the extra girl that was there. Her name was Yoko. Her hair was silver for some reason. It couldn't be age, I mean, she was only in high school right? He managed to catch a bit of the conversation before he made it all the way to the table.

Neji: So... she didn't want to sit with you or me??

Sasuke: ((Shakes head))Nope.

Neji: ((Looks at Yoko)) Why?

Yoko: ((Blush)) I wanted to sit with Subakuno-kun.

Sasuke: ((Stare))**Why**??

Sighing Naruto bent over and grabbed his bag. Why did everyone have to be so worried about everyone else's business?

"Thanks, Uchiha," he said as he hoisted it onto his back. Sasuke looked up at him, and his eyes fell on the notebook.

"Is that why you practically killed me?" he spat pointing at it.

He shifted uneasily. "Yes."

"Hmp. Here." Naruto closed his eyes and grit his teeth together. The last time he said here like that, he punched him in the face for saying 'no.' "Idiot." He creased his brow. "Take the damn thing."

He cracked open one eye and then both when he saw what it was. He took the orange cream-sickle from his hands and studied it. "What did you inject it with?"

"What the hell, Uzumaki? You _really _think I feel like filling out papers for your murder?"

"Hmp. Guess not. You are a lazy bastard."

"I am not. Some things just come rather easily to me is all."

"Oh, I'm so sorry for that improper assumption O Mighty Uchiha-_san_."

"Shut up you jackass... Unless you feel like having me attack you."

He rolled his eyes in disgust. "Spare me Uchiha. I don't feel like putting up with you right now."

"Aww..." He patted the seat next to him where the book bag had originally sat. "Sit down and tell me allllllll about it Na-ru-chaaaaaaan."

"Um. Nuuuuuuuu," he said forming his lips into a perfect circle as he declined. Actually, Sasuke hadn't even heard him. He was busy watching his round lips. When he saw them frown at him, he flicked his eyes up.

"What?"

His frown deepened. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

"Sure I did. I just wasn't listening."

"You're a terrible person, you know that?"

"I realized that when I was damned to be entwined with you till after college. It drove me mad. I almost considered suicide once," he joked.

Naruto just stared at him. Not funny. Even the mini one inside wore a blank expression. After gazing at him with glassy eyes, Naruto spoke. "... Uchiha..." He put the ice cream back on the table. "Go die." And he left. He walked right out of the cafeteria. He didn't even look at anyone when he exited. Not even Kiba, his so called best friend when he hollered to him.

_Shit, something's wrong. Really wrong, _Sasuke realized. Sighing he rested his elbows on the table and supported his chin with his palms.

"What the hell was that?" Neji asked from across the round table. Sasuke sent him a terrifying glare before answering.

"Nothing. He's a pissy little boy that gets far too upset far too soon."

"Sasuke..." Tenten looked at him with incredulous eyes. "Is everything alright?"

He groaned and eased his tense his shoulders. "No." After a moment or two he got up. "I have to go. Tell me about any plans made later, alright?" He directed the question to the older teen across from him.

Neji nodded but began talking soon after. "Is there something between you and Uzumaki?"

"I could ask the same question about you and Kank' couldn't I?" he said with a defiant smirk as he spread his hands out on the table.

Neji eyed him before shaking his head. "You very well could. But then I'd be obligated to force an answer out of you about the tiny blonde."

"I doubt that Hyuuga. You can't get anything out of me."

"You wanna bet on that one? If my memory serves, I've gotten quite a bit out of you in the past, Sa-suke-_kuuuuuuuun_." He swirled his liquid in the cup he brought from home with a twirling of his wrist while he used the other one to support his head. He looked up at him with intense, pupil-less eyes. "Kank' and I haven't gotten anywhere with... _trust_ yet. That means I'm still free of ties if you won't talk."

"You wouldn't try it. As much as you can talk, and as much game as you throw around, you're not going to get it."

"Aww... come on. I'm doing the boarding you know. I can help you out a bit... if you still lean that way."

Sasuke shook his head then gave him a fiery glare. "No favors from you thanks." He finally removed himself from the table in entirety. "I have to go see something in the library. Tell me if anything happens," he pretty much demanded. "Ja-ne." Then, he turned and left. Good thing most of his friends were somewhat Asian if not whole. He didn't like explaining himself. When he made his way to the door, he turned in the direction of the library. _I wonder if Naruto is Asian too? He looks it, and he's got the name but... the blonde hair... _Padding down the halls he cursed himself. Mental kicking his ass over and over. _Dammit Uchiha. What's wrong with you? Since when do you ponder on enemies? And since when do you need to cover something up with the council members?_ He frowned at his shoes as he walked._ You're not affected by anything. ANYthing. Especially something that happened so long ago. What the hell brought that up? _He stopped in the middle of the passage parallel with the garden. It was raining outside. Hard. _What's happening to me? I can't even take this shit out on him anymore._ He turned and stared at the row of lockers that lined the walls. He sighed as he slumped to the floor against them. He stared at the ceiling in a daze of memories and confusion. The thunder that cracked outside brought him back to Earth though. He looked out the windows that ran from the top of the hall to the bottom... and his breath caught. Naruto was out there?! In _that_?! What was he thinking? _What is he **doing** for that matter?_

Collecting himself from the floor, he padded over to the door that lead outside. When he got it open, he was immediately covered in cold and wet. Wiping vigorously at his eyes to get the rain away, he tried to spot the blonde again. He found him in a corner intent on doing _something_.

"Dobe!!" Sasuke shouted as he trudged over in the storm. He reached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Closing the roof, asshole!! The storm came too fast, so it didn't close... and now it's STUCK!!" He put a foot between him and the wall and pulled down on the slippery rope. His hands failed him and he stumbled backward into the brunette's chest. Violently launching himself from the larger body, he went at the rope again.

"Why the hell are you doing this?!" Sasuke shouted at him when he attempted the same tactic again.

"Because!! If I don't, they'll all die!!"

"Whoever you're--" the blonde landed on him again "-- talking about isn't that important!! You're going to get sick out here dumbass!!"

"I don't care!! I've already lost enough! I can't see the only other things I love go too!"

Sasuke just watched him. Watched him pull the rope. Watched him fail every time. Watched him always go back at it. Was this garden really that important to him? Why? It's not like they couldn't replace it if it was tarnished.

Naruto violently shook his head in an attempt to fling the hair from his eyes. He tried his technique on pulling the rope again. This time, he didn't fall into the person behind him though. Instead, it actually moved. He opened his eyes that had been squeezed shut as he exerted all of his force on getting the roof shut. Looking up, he froze. Sasuke was... helping him? Why? He watched as the other teen used his muscles to pull the rope as best he could. Once it went too slack, Naruto fell against him again. He didn't throw himself off this time though. He just sat there as he worked under him. When the last plate of glass finally clicked shut, Sasuke leaned over and put his hand on the wall, basically squishing Naruto against it. After a long, agonizing moment, he fell to the damp floor and lye on his back. The wet felt good in his hair, and he wasn't really getting up anytime soon. Even though it was damp, he still got serious rope-burn every time he slipped.

_What the hell?_ He opened an eye when he felt rain hitting his cheek again. _Oh, it's him. _"What?"

"Why did you do that, Uchiha?" he ground out as if he were angry.

"What did I do? Oh, that's right. I closed the damned roof so you would take your sorry ass inside. Much as I hate to say, I would be in serious trouble if one of my peers gave himself pneumonia because of something so _fucking _stupid!"

Naruto choked on his own tongue. After a while he straightened. "I thought so." Once at his full height, he sauntered over to the closest tree and peered in through one of the knot-holes. A few seconds later, he moved on to the next. Then, another. He finally came to the biggest tree and had to stand on tip-toes to look inside of it. Peaking out from under his bangs he gazed into the tree. And happiness washed over him. Content with his discovery, he slid down the trunk of the tree-- and lounged.

_Ugh... what the hell was that about? _Finally building up the gumption, Sasuke stood. After he had practically limped over to the tree, he looked inside-- and stared. It was glowing. Really. There were luminous mushrooms inside that gave off a faint yellow shine inside of the tree. In the hallow were dozens of butterflies. They skittered about and bumped into each other, disoriented from the sudden storm.

"I'm glad they noticed it."

He looked down at the small figure beside him. He'd totally forgotten he was there, but he was glad that he pulled him out of his daze. "Who?"

"The butterflies. I thought they would get crushed by the storm. The rain is heavy you know?"

"The... butterflies? You were out here because of the fucking butterflies?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"...Nothing. Nothing at all. The butterflies here mean something to me. They mean a lot. It's not something I would expect a heartless person to understand."

Till this day, Sasuke _still _doesn't know why he lifted up Naruto by his collar and dangled him off of the ground. "FUCK YOU UZUMAKI!! You don't know SHIT about me!!

"Maybe. But you don't know a thing about me. Like the fact that I actually _know_ what happened all those years ago. The fact I know why you're so _solemn _when certain things are brought up in conversations."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!! You don't know anything you worthless shit!"

"Are you sure?"

"YES DAMMIT!! And I could kill you on the spot and no one would even fucking notice that you were gone!!"

He threw his blue eyes to the ground from the corners of his sockets. "Do it then."

Sasuke's tight jaw softened. "...What?"

"I SAID DO IT!!" He turned his eyes back and glared at him as if he planned to rip his throat out by his jugular veins. "I'm already dead Uchiha!! In the dark, broken!! You can't hurt something like that!! If you think you're so badass, do it then!"

Sasuke pulled back his fist and kept the small boy suspended in the air. "Give me one reason why I should hit you, and I will."

"Because you hate me." And that was when Sasuke stopped.

"I don't _hate _you, Uzumaki."

"Maybe, but you don't exactly _like _me either. I'm your fuck toy and anger vent. And I _know_ that something is bothering the shit out of you. Get rid of it. Just do it and be done."

"Why do you want me to hit you so badly?"

"... Because I can't do it myself."

"Naruto..."

"Look... Today wasn't the best one I've had. It's only the middle of the week, and I'm already unstable and snubbing everyone. It may not seem like it to you, but I am. You don't talk to me ever, but if you did, you'd notice that I haven't been myself. My writing's gotten to be a message of distress." He felt tears sliding down his cheeks. You couldn't see them tough since he was already thoroughly soaked. "Everything is going wrong for me now, Uchiha. And there's only one person that'll listen to it all. And half the time, he's busy or I just can't find him!! There's no one to help me! I want to bleed it out, but I can't! I can't bring myself to inflict pain on my own body! I need you to do this for me! I'm begging you now! You're the only person who would hit someone fragile like me!!" He broke out into sobs as he wracked his body with violent shudders.

And Sasuke put him down. When his feet touched the grass, his eyes opened and he looked up at the guy that he was counting on to do him this one justice. To replace his anguish with pain. "Why didn't you do it, Uchiha?"

He gave him a wry smile and wrapped his arms about the smaller boy. He pulled him close and laid his head to rest on top of his. "Because. I know how you're feeling. It's not a good place to be. Believe me. I've been there before. Right now, you don't need to bleed, you need to release..." He squeezed him harder and closed his eyes against the golden locks plastered to his face; it smelled of lavender and vanilla, totally different from the rest of him that carried the scent of cinnamon. "And the book bag thing was your last favor for the day."

Naruto was slow at first. Afraid of what might happen if he went along with this. Went along with the comfort that he was trying to give him. But, was he really trying to do that? Or was he going to throw him against the tree and ravish him on the spot? Unsure, he gripped the hem of the older teen's jacket. "I'm scared," he whispered out more to himself than the other boy as the tears continued to flow.

"Don't be. I'm not going to hurt you, or haven't you noticed that I've been holding back unless you're going to do me some serious damage?"

Naruto hucked and buried his face into the material of Sasuke's undershirt. It was wet, but it was still soft. Finally, he trusted him enough, in this one instance, to wrap his arms around his back. He pushed himself into the brunette as far as he could without killing either one of them. "Why?" he asked as the automated roof opened back up as the rain eased to a gentle drizzle.

"Because," Sasuke began as the droplets splattered on his head. "Because it's what you need. I don't want you feeling like that."

"But why? For as long as I can remember... Ever since that day in elementary school, you've been out to get me. Ready to hurt me in any chance you got. In middle school, even after what happened, you still threatened and beat the shit out of me. And you did a damned good job at keeping me in line. Now, I ask you to do it... and you don't. I'd at least expect you to force yourself on me in this case. Just, tell me why?"

Sasuke just looked down at him as the light drizzle played with is hair and the nape of his neck, no doubt ruining his new school uniform. "Because, Dobe... Just... because."

And for some reason, that was good enough for him.


	4. Feelings Heard

Love the uniform idea. Love it with me!! Haha... ok, im done

* * *

**_Chapter: 4- Feelings Heard_**

In the bright, sterile doctor's office, Sasuke sat on the table. After a violent sneeze, he shot the blonde, who was contently tending to a tray across from him, an icy glare that might have frozen Hell. Sasuke hated this place. Everything was white. EVERYTHING. The walls, the examination tables... Hell, even the sticky bandages were white. He sneezed again, this time rocking forward slightly.

"You know, you should cover your mouth when you do that, retard," the blonde stated turning around with the tray in his hands. "You'll make yourself sicker."

Sasuke snorted. "How did you manage to come out of that perfectly fine again?" He attempted to sniff his nose clear. No such success. "You were out there longer than I was."

The smaller boy walked over and set the tray of crap next to him. "I never get sick. And, if by some miracle I do, it doesn't last for long."

"WHY?!" he nearly shouted. He pointed an accusatory finger at the apron wrapped around his slim waist. "Lookit you! You're so small and _delicate._ How could you not get sick with that kind of build and those characteristics? I mean come on! You act more like a _girl _most of the time... You're even wearing a nurse's tiara!"

Naruto pouted and placed his fists on his hips. "Well, I'm wearing it because it's mandatory of all help in the hospital. And I remember thouroughly kicking your ass on occasion!! As for the sick thing, I have a condition!!" He perked up and smirked at the slight shock bestowed unto the Uchiha's face.

"And what would that be, you androgynous freak?"

"Exactly that!"

"I'm sorry... what??"

"I have a rare case of hormonal imbalance. I have insane corruption of my androgen chemicals. The terrible mix- up of it all rotates in a cycle throughout time though. I have another one that _usually_ helps me recover over ailments. It keeps me fit, but I'm usually kind of moody. Although... I come off rather cheery..." He clapped his hands in front of him. "Guess I'm just lucky, huh?"

Sasuke stared at him for a while. "...So... you are a 'him,' right?"

"_Yes,_" he hissed out. "As I quite vividly remember, you've been witness to my 'manhood.'"

"That's right," he said with a smile. "I almost forgot about that."

"Shut up you ass!"

"I'm _so-wwy_. Can I ask you something though? In all seriousness?"

He contemplated saying no for just a moment before deciding. With a sigh he said, "Sure."

"If I called you a hermaphrodite, would I be right??"

"NO!!" he shouted as he brought the nearby clipboard crashing down on his head in a rush of fury. "For your information, I consider myself totally male!!"

"Well, right now I consider you kind of effeminate," Sasuke stated, trying to nurse the growing welt on his head. "I hate being sick. I get so weak..."

"Serves you right Uchiha!" He stomped his way across the room and pulled something down from one of the cupboards. "Making fun of me like that... Don't you do enough to me already?" He turned around with an exhausted look on his face and deflated. "I mean come on!"

"No actually. I don't think I do enough."

"You would say something like that wouldn't you?" He thundered back over and began wrapping bandage around his arm that had been torn when he collapsed against the tree after Naruto had bum rushed him. "Even after I've been taking care of you. Your ass is so lucky that I work here. If I wasn't picking up prescriptions for one of my patients, you would've had to pay upfront."

"Didn't the school send me here after they let out though?"

"Yeah, but this is a private hospital. The school only sent you here 'cause... well, you're an Uchiha, Uchiha. And school was out, so whatever happened happened."

He sniffed again trying to retract some of his snot. "You know, I don't get it."

"What now?" the boy clad is hospital attire asked rather tiredly.

"I treat you so badly... yet you stick with me. Why?"

He sighed heavily. He never thought that this question was ever going to arise between them. Especially when he didn't feel like talking in the least bit. Naru-chan in his head collapsed in a non-existent chair and began to snore. Why did they have to bother him like this?

"Why?" He chuckled regardless of his other current emotions. "I ask myself that same perplexing question sometimes too. But really, it comes down to one thing: I guess you're my friend Uchiha."

Said teen looked down passed his feet and examined the floor. "I am not. I was once... remember? You still called me Sasuke then. But that was before you showed up to school the way you did. You were out for a week in first grade, and you finally came back all hurt and far from emotionally unscathed. And then I found out what Itachi was doing when I hit sixth grade... I wonder why everything happened the way it did?"

"It was all intended."

"What are you talking about? Have you looked at yourself lately? Blame it on your 'hormones' if you want, but you've been losing weight. You know, I've got this thing called a theory, and it says you've been troubled. I doubt you have anything bothersome going on unless it's at home, but then again what teenage kid doesn't? So you can't say that's got you so fucking kill-me-now. And I know..." He sighed before rearranging his sentece. "You can't really say it doesn't hurt when you think about whatever it was that..."

"You're right Uchiha. I can't. But you know, I try not to dwell on things like that. The past is over and the present is now. That's where I'd like to focus my attention thank you." He finished wrapping the gauze and clipped it in place. After dropping his arm, Naruto continued. "Remembering things like that only make life sad and anything but enjoyable for anyone. Thinking about it is only going to cast them into a dark hole that they can't crawl out of. No matter how hard you desperately try to climb, the walls will be too steep, or a grip just can't be placed. Eventually you'll be sucked in to a never-ending darkness with that lifestyle. Hence, I try to stay away from it."

"Naruto, what really happened to you that day? Ever since then, you've gotten so serious and--"

"Apparently, you aren't poetic enough to understand what I said. Let me put it in more blunt terms for you: I said DROP IT, Uchiha." Collecting his materials back up, he shoved them into their resting place again. "I'm getting a drink. Sit here and wait for the doctor. If he can't find them, your stats are imprinted on your skull."

"Hold on--Dobe..." And Naruto slammed the door on his plea; making him choke back his words before they even had a chance to swivel their way around his tongue. He sighed and hung his head. _Who am I really trying to joke here?_

((With Naruto))

_Damn him!!_ he mused as he stalked down the halls.

"Hi, Naru-chan!! I'm so glad to see you back!!" One nurse squealed.

"Thanks Mizuki!!" he gushed back, plastering on a fake smile that said he was perfectly fine. As soon as she was out of view, he dropped his act.

_Damn him!! I wouldn't wish what happened to me on my worst enemy, and he has to go and bring it up like that!! What's his problem? I don't bring up Itachi do I? Nuuuuuuuuu..._ He stopped at the lobby machine and pulled a cup from the stack of various colors. He got orange. _Fucking bastard... I bet he just likes to see me squirm at the memories._ His cup filled and he pulled it back, taking a sip of the hot chocolate. _No good son of a bitch…_ He pulled the cup away from his lips and set it down. Picking up another one, this time blue, he filled it with coffee._ I don't hate anyone, but he's getting pretty close to where I draw that thin line. If he doesn't make a move soon..._

Picking up the two cups, he started back to the room. Stopping outside, he stood with the drinks in hand. He huffed while he waited until he was sure that he was cooled down enough to see the other boy again. Deciding to cast aside the fear that he didn't know he was holding, he pushed hte door open. Walking passed the doctor examining the boy on the table, he took a seat at the desk. Placing the blue cup some two feet away, he began to down his hot chocolate. He put it back down, leaving a little less than half of what he had to begin with. Sighing he hunched himself over and began running a pencil he found across a blank piece of paper he'd taken form the doctor's drawer.

"Dobe?" Sasuke somehow managed to mouth around the thermometer blocking his tongue.

"What do you want Uchiha?" He didn't even look up from what he was doing.

"You're back?"

"No. I've fled the counrty to go marry a Swedish woman that wants me to give her thousands of children."

"They took some blood while you were gone."

"That's great Uchiha..."

"Dobe... Look, I'm sorry ok?" He stopped when the doctor said he was going to take the thermometer out. Once it was removed, a trail of saliva leading back to his lip, he kept going. "I didn't mean to get you all upset. Really. I just wanted to know what was going on."

"Why?" He made a dark line that traveled across the paper, releasing a high pitched noise as he did so. The doctor cast him a disapproving look for scratching his desks, and he apologized with his eyes. Nodding, Hayate continued his analysis of the mercury inside of the glass. " Why would you care? Look Uchiha, you said so yourself, you aren't my friend."

"Maybe, but I'm your peer. I do notice things about you still."

Another thick line. "That doesn't answer my fucking question." The medic looked at the raven-haired boy suspiciously. In all the time he'd known Naruto, he'd never sworn in his office. Even if he did slip in the faculty lounge, it was never that bad. And he apologized fiercely for being foul-mouthed.

Sasuke winced. He'd heard him say it a lot, but he'd never said it more than once in a week. "Dobe... what do you want me to say? I said I was sorry didn't I?"

He turned around so quick that he surprised himself. "I don't give two shits if you're sorry!! Being sorry hasn't gotten me anywhere in life. If anything, it's made it worse as far as I can see!! I lost everything because people felt sorry for me! I don't want to hear that!! I want to hear why the fuck you care in the first place!!"

The boy on the table hung his head a bit, feeling the intense stare he was getting from the fuming blonde. Hayate felt a tickle in his throat, but he guessed it wasn't the best time to clear it out. Scowling with the ugliest face the pretty boy could muster, he turned back to his so called work. "Thought so." _He doesn't care at all. He just wants to be in my business; see what's got me so screwed up. Then he can use it as blackmail. Keep me chained up like a dog. Like the things people call me around that place._ He gripped the pencil tight in his hand, steadily adding pressure. _So he can constantly remind me what it was like. Make me remember all of that pain. All the hurt I went through. _He hunched his shoulders and blinked his eyes as rapidly as he could to force the tears away. _Make it so that I never forget all the way. I know I can't, but I can almost get there so that everything doesn't remind me of it._ He bit his lip as the pencil broke and shattered bits of wood across the workspace.

"I'm sorry Dr. Hayate," he said, never moving from his position. "I'll clean it up right away."

He coughed once before answering. "It's alright. Take your time; I have to go get something from the last room anyway." As quickly as he could, without making it seem as though he wanted to, he left the tiny examination room. When the door clicked behind him, Naruto bolted out of his seat. The sudden movement caused the chair to scoot a fair yard away from him and made Sasuke to look up, just to see what was going on. As promised, he was scraping what was left of the pencil into his hand. Using his foot to jam the button for life, he disposed of the tiny pieces of what was once a tree. Now it was trash, useless to whoever wanted to use something like it. Slamming the lid as violently as he could, he hurt his hand and swore at the pain. Stomping over to the cabinets, he found the anti-sting and applied it to his throbbing hand. It proved difficult since the one that was injured was his right, the dominant one.

"Dammit!" He slammed the bottle back on the table and slouched in clear defeat. Frustration was spreading through his entire body and making him hot with anger. When the bottle was carelessly thrown to his feet dangling over the edge of the table, Sasuke bent down to pick it up. Grabbing left over gauze from earlier, he got up and made his way over to the blonde.

He took the hand that was becoming increasingly red and doused it in the odorless liquid that he held. The blonde refused him at first, slapping him with all his might, just irritating his pain further. He gave up after a good two minutes of shouting though.

"You know something?" Sasuke asked as he was wrapping the bandage around the wound.

"I know a lot believe it or not, Uchiha."

Ignore the sarcasm. "I don't know why..." He stopped to clip the gauze in place. "I really don't. But as of lately, I've been watching you more. And it's not just because I feel like screwing something into a door." The boy frowned at him, but he continued anyway. "I couldn't answer your question before because I didn't know how. That's because I don't _know _why I care. I've been covering it up as best I could, but I can't deny the fact that I want to see you somewhat happy. I miss being your friend, and I _know_ it's my fault." He stood up and placed the anti-sting on the counter next to whatever Naruto was harassing during their 'spat.' "But, I want you to forgive me."

"Uchiha..."

"I know it's a lot to ask for, but, I don't want to keep being an ass just because there are other people around. I mean, sure, I'll still be a prick, and I'll still kick your ass, but it'll be much more subtle."

"But, what about what you said? That started this whole thing?"

"I said that. And I know I shouldn't have. Look, this isn't that easy for me, and I'm running out of things to say. So give me an answer here, Uzumaki."

He looked away, clearly distraught and at a loss for words. Sasuke ran a hand through his black hair and let out a slow breath as he sat back down on his table. He looked up when a blue cup was shoved under his nose.

"Is this poison strong enough to kill me? If not, I don't enjoy torture."

Naruto smiled sadly. "It's coffee Sasuke. You look like you've been up for the past few nights, so I figure it would serve better than my hot chocolate."

"Thanks," he said taking it then raising it to his lips. As was custom in his house, he placed a hand under the cup as he tipped it back. It was weird since the cup wasn't super small. _But so is the way he's acting. I mean, who goes around shouting insults to your family name, and then gives you coffee and says 'Here ya go Sasuke!' all chipper. Well, he sounds chipper... he looks like he should be sitting in a puddle right now. Hold on... Rewind and replay...Oh shit!!_

"You called me Sasuke?!"

Naruto nodded. "I'll continue to too, as long as you stop molesting me every chance you get."

"I can still do it though, just not every chance, right?" he asked squinting at him as though he was trying to rip him off.

"Nuuuuuu... And if you try, I'm going to have to try and fight you for the sake of old times."

"I'll take my chances then." He did a quick nod to emphasize his finality.

Before Naruto could respond, the door opened and he was ushered out. He didn't even know what was going on before he was in the long white hallway. Boy, what a transition. The floor tiles here were blue!! So he made his way back down to the lobby. Somehow, he'd managed to take his cup with him when Hayate so urgently pushed him out. Pouting, he thought about going to get a refill. It was wonderful being on the staff team. Shrugging, he whimsily made his way back to the lobby. Hopefully, they would be done when he got back. Singing to himself all the way, he mused about making ammends with Sasuke.

Said Uchiha was not happy though. "Excuse me Doctor Hayate, but do you think you could tell me why you just threw my fucking friend out of the damn room?"

Cough, cough "He's you're friend is he?"

"Yes, he is. Well... it went pretty quick, but I've been nicer lately so, I guess it would." Shaking his head Hayate raised a hand to him.

"Sasuke, I need to ask you a very serious question."

"Oh, ok. No need to be so woebegone. What is it?"

"You can be totally honest here, I have no reason to tell anyone... Are you taking drugs?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I have prescription drugs for this crap in my left side; a once spreading infection from... Anyway, that's just about gone through so the doctor said to ease up on it a little. I haven't taken it in a while so..."

He shook his head again. "No, Sasuke, I mean illegal drugs."

"WHAT?! What. The. HELL would make you think that?!"

"We found traces of marijauana in your system."

"Well how the hell did it get there?!"

"Sasuke... there are a lot of ways to do that. If you aren't giving it to yourself..." The man sounded doubtful, and Sasuke sent him a gaze of daggers. If he could just focus a little more... "Someone has to be getting it in you. Can you think of anyone?"

Sasuke was quick to shake his head. "No. Itachi's been gone, so it can't be him. And there isn't anyone else."

"Well, since you haven't been noticing it, it must be getting put in on a schedule. Keep an eye out. It seems that whoever's doing this is due for an appointment soon. The drug has almost made its way out of your system. Be sure to stay out of reach of anything suspicious."

"Like what?" He raised an eyebrow. "Someone running up to me to jab a needle in my arm? Pellets in my food? Believe it or not, I steer clear of those things already. I'm not an aquaintance of any maniacs, and I cook my own meals. Isn't there a less vague thing you could give me?"

"Well, it appears to be entering your body through direct contact. Meaning, it isn't being smoked. So, either you're shooting up," -he recieved a stare that could outdue a concrete wall- "or someone is feeding it to you."

"I am NOT shooting up!! And who the hell is feeding me?! Didn't I just say that I make my own food??"

Hayate gave a frustrated sigh. And placed two fingers on his temples. "Look Sasuke, we don't know how it's getting there, and if you don't then we don't know what to tell you. Just, pay attention a little more or something... See if any of your friends are acting differently."

"Fine." He hopped off of the table and opened the door. "Care to tell me what I have before I leave?"

"You've got a serious cold. It isn't like the flu or anything, but it is bad. I've left a prescription at the front desk. Give your name and the attendent will hand it over."

"Thanks." Sasuke shot him a look over the shoulder, and something caught his eye. "Can you hand me that?" he asked pointing to his cup. Hayate handed it to him, along with the paper Naruto had been raping of its blankness.

"You should take it to him. He usually likes to get these things back to his home." Figures. Why would such a dull place want any black on their white?

"Yeah, ok." He took it without even glancing at the image. "Thanks for your help doc." He folded the paper into his pocket, and he left, headed straight for the lobby to find his newly refounded friend. He was rather easy to spot too. He was in the middle of a large group of people in white trenchcoats. Since he was so animatedly chatting with them, Sasuke took it as nothing and stepped over to the receptionist's desk. Talking to the nurse for a few seconds, he soon had her on her way to pick up his prescription papers. Now, all he had to do was wait for her to get back, pay, and go to an Rx pharmacy to get the prescription filled. Sighing, he leaned on the countertop. Feeling his eyes droop, he took a sip of the coffee in his hand. Naruto was right, he hadn't been sleeping much lately. He'd been having nightmares believe it or not. Yes, nightmares. They were all the same. About his brother and those 'rings' of his. How could he even do something like that? And the way Sasuke'd found out, it was... He graoned and shook his head to pull himself out of his sorrows. He was also up those nights doing planning for the retreat. Now that brought up some werious issues. His job was to decide on the freaking hours it would take, how many buses needed, how much they should charge, how long they'd be staying, and three school-related activities that they would partake in while there.

_I wonder what Naruto's problems are? He won't tell me anything anymore. That bridge is something I've totally smashed. It's been broken for years now, and I can't expect it to be fixed in one day. Wonder how long it's gonna take for him to open up to me again. Earlier was totally different; he was asking me to beat the shit out of him. Had I done that, he would've been in need of a doctor with the shape he's in now._ He straightened and put his cup down as the nurse returned with his papers and bill. He pulled out his wallet and swiped his credit card clear. Tucking his leather money-holder back into his pocket, along with his papers, he turned back around. Only to be bum rushed by a blinding sun. With an 'oof' he was slammed aginst the counter. _Geez... and how long have I been doing **that **to Naruto again?_

"Sasuke!! Come here!! You have to come here!! You have to meet these people!! They're so nice to me!!" the tiny blonde giddily shouted.

Sasuke was hesitent. "Naruto, aren't people _usually_ nice to you?"

He sighed. "Yes, but not around here. This is pretty close to where I live, you know?"

"So? What has that got to do with anything?"

"Never mind... Just come say hi!!"

_He's tugging on my arm..._ Sasuske thought looking down at his elbow. _Like I'm his tousan or something... What the hell?? Who gets like this just because people are nice? As far as I can tell, everone at school loves him. Well, except for that Ino freak. Yeah, I wonder why?_

Before he could take his thoughts any further, he was standing in front of a group of people, significantly older than they, in white trenchcoats. Really now, who wears trenchcoats anymore? And every single one was the same. _What the hell. _Sasuke frowned in disapproval, as though he knew something was up with these guys. _And... Why do those things look so familiar?_

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he made a move for conversation. "So, Naruto tells me that you're nice to_ him._"

"Oh, does _he_?" One person with blonde hair asked. Oh shit... was that a dude? Or was that a chick? Never guess by voice: it'll get you into trouble. Damn... don't you just hate when you can't differenciate between sexes?

"Yes, _he_ does." Sasuke continued speaking to the group in general, trying to filter out who was who. "Is there any specific reason that you were talking to _him_?"

_Wait, this isn't how I wanted it to go,_ Naruto thought to himself.

"Well," another person, this one with a collar so high, you'd be srprised if he could even see anything at all, "we thought_ he_ looked like_ he_ could use some company, sitting out here all alone the way _he_ was."

"You know, you guys are at least ten years our seniors." He looked at Naruto who was still holding his sleeve, only now he was pouting. He removed one of his hands from his pocket and smacked the blonde on the shoulder. Not hard, just enough to startle him out of his current thought process.

"What?" he demanded seemingly pissed.

"Don't pout. I'm trying to keep my distance a _little_ bit here. Your cute faces aren't going to help it any."

Naruto dropped the upset thing and went for completely mortified.

"Anyway," Sasuke said turning back to the people in white, "you really shouldn't be talking to such a young kid. _He's _only fifteen you know?"

"Sasuke, why do you guys keep saying he and him like that?" Naruto questioned from his side.

"'Cause it's fun." He could've sworn he heard the boy say oh before turning his gaze back to the floor. Sighing, he jerked his arm a bit. Naruto took it the wrong way and dropped his hand. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke grunted. "No Dobe, I meant come on. It's getting late now and neither of us is home yet." He grabbed his wrist and pulled. "I don't know about you, but I really don't want to hear my parents... Although I'm sure they won't even notice that I'm gone longer than I should be..."

"Why?" Naruto asked as they started walking toward the exit. Naruto had returned his nurse's apron and tiara back to his locker and switched out his clogs for his sneakers. Turning around half-way, he waved bye to his new 'friends.' "I mean, how would they not notice that you weren't home?"

They stopped at guest services and picked up their book bags. "Easy," he replied as he hefted the bag over his shoulder. "They don't care." He took in the devastated look that made its way across the younger boy's face; he smiled. "Don't worry about it."

"What do you mean 'they don't care?'" he asked pushing his entire body against the door. Sasuke pushed with his hands as well, and it opened. "I mean, who doesn't care about their child?"

"Well, they care about their _children,_ just one more than the other." They were quiet as they made their way to the corner. There was just dead silence between them. You know, the kind of quiet that makes you think that you just have to whisper, like if you were in a big empty house. Finally, one of them spoke.

"Oi, which way do you live?" the brunette asked as they approached the crosswalk.

"Huh?" Naruto looked up a bit startled. "W-why do you want to know that?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at his stupidity. "Because, idiot. I want to get you home so I can get back. It is getting late you know." He stopped and thought for a second. "You said something about Fox Empires, right?"

Naruto's eyes shifted as his heart pounded right in sync. He had to think of something. I mean, he couldn't bring Sasuke to his house no matter what. He really didn't feel like consequences at the moment. "Uhm, yeah. But, we should get you home first."

Sasuke raised both eyebrows, just one higher than the other. "Hm? Why? Do you really think you should be walking in the dark alone like that?"

He gave him the sunniest smile he could muster. "I know the area like I know every part of my body. You don't have to worry about it."

Sasuke just looked at him like he was retarded. "Uhm... regardless, do you still think you should be out alone at night? There are these things called bad neighborhoods, and, I don't know about ones that you've been too, but most of thems have robbers, and they have these nifty things called guns and knives that hurt really bad."

"You really didn't have to tell me that," Naruto said suddenly growing solemn. "I already know." He stood there looking at the groud for a while before he had regained his mental health a bit. "But anyway, I don't need an escort to get around. In case you haven't noticed, no one can resist a face like this."

"That's what I'm worried about."

He kept going like he hadn't spoken. "I don't have to worry about being mugged. And even if it does happen, I can still land a solid punch on you right? That has to count for something Mr. Martial Arts."

Sasuke smiled. "Cocky huh?" Naruto nodded to show his determination. "Alright, if you really think you'll be ok... But promise that you'll call as soon as you get home."

Naruto blinked at him. "Eh? Why the hell would you want me to do that?"

"So-I-know-you're-o-kay." Sasuke said, making sure to bend over with his hands in his pockets to get in his face.

Naruto blinked again. New concept. Hard to grasp. "Why?"

Sasuke ran a hand over his face. "Didn't we talk about this already?" he sighed. "I mean come on... Is it that hard to get?"

"Yes."

Sasuke groaned. "You really bug me, you know that?"

"Yes."

Sasuke shot him a look, and he shot one right back. "What?"

"Are we going to go anytime soon, Sa-su-ke?"

"My name isn't Sasyuke. It's Sasuke."

"It's _spelled_ Sasyuke."

"No. Sasyuke is spelled with a 'y' in it." He squinted his eyes. "If you can't pronounce in Japanese, don't try to spell it either."

"Why the hell wouldn't I be able to pronounce Japanese, you baka?!"

"Eh? I've never said that. I thought you learned your words from me?"

"Koishinobu too."

"Ok, but she doesn't insult people. And I'm sure that if she did, it wouldn't be you."

Naruto narrowed his eyes a him. "Ok? What would you're point be? You think that I'm so stupid not even to know my native tongue at least a little bit? I mean, the big words maybe, but the tiny ones?"

"Native huh?"

"Yes, Uchiha. I-am-Asian. Just like the _rest_ of the majority of our school. I happen to be Japanese in fact. Just like _most_ of the majority."

"...I don't believe you."

"_Why_?" Naruto ground out as he clenched his fists._ Don't say it..._

"Your hair is yell-ow. With red streaks. That are nat-u-ral. You don't get that from Japan." They had long since moved from the corner to the benches for the bus stop. Lucky them that no one was there.

_Bastard!! _"Okay, so my ancesters were CHITES!! I don't know how that is!! I just know what I am dammit... And I don't have streaks!!"

"OH, sure. I'm just color blind right?" He reached over and plucked a hair from his head and made him whine as he placed his hand over the sore spot. "What the hell is this then?"

Naruto stared at it. "And... how did you notice that I was getting highlights, and I didn't?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Because, you aren't always looking down on your own head. In case you haven't noticed, you aren't the tallest of people, Dobe."

"Stop calling me that Uchiha!! I am not dead last in ANYTHING!!"

"More knowledge huh?"

"Cut it out!" he shouted.

"Why?" he asked so menacingly calm that it sent shivers down Naruto's spine.

"Daijabutte-bayo?!"

"Uhm... Nothing's wrong... Well, nothing serious... Well, nothing you need to know about."

Naruto pouted up at him. "Can we just take you home now? Please? I don't want it to be too dark on my way back..."

"Eck... Yeah, come on. It's down this way." He stood up and made a motion for Naruto to follow him. Soon after, he hopped off and made his way behind him. "Hey, Naruto?"

"What?"

"Why'd you get all touchy when I was trying to get you to let me take you home?"

Naruto stopped and studied the ground. After realizing that he wasn't next to him after a few steps, so did Sasuke; only he studied the boy accomanying him.

"Why do you get all touchy when people bring up Itachi?" he countered as he found his step again and walked right past the bewildered boy.

After Sasuke was no longer super stupified, he made his way to catch up to Naruto and pasted an ugly frown on his face. "Oi, Dobe... No one knows **what** _your _fucking problem is, so we can't bring it up on purpose. That doesn't mean you have the right to do it to other people who are just asking a question or trying to make a point."

Naruto scowled at him from the corners of his eyes. "Point? I don't do anything else. So why does it matter?"

"Because it hurts to remember some things idiot!!"

"So not only are you calling me rude, you're calling me stupid as well?"

"No, it's not that. It's the fact that you're _doing_ it that's rude and stupid."

"I bet it is. But you know, the only thing I do is yell at Iruka, but he's like family, so it's ok. I don't do anything wrong, so I might as well do that." He looked at him with cloudy blue eyes. "And you're the only one I do it to. Our rivalry kept me happy at times. It might sound bad, but, if I wanted to be hurt, all I ever had to do was bring him up after you found out what he was doing."

Sasuke grit his teeth and stared at his feet as he walked. He was right. Every fight he remembered in middle school had started with him throwing something snide about Itachi his way. But thinking back on it...

"Naruto... you're right, but how did you even know about Itachi back then? I never talked about him, and he was never around school. Most people didn't even know that I was his _birth _brother until eighth grade when a huge bust at the club was announced on the _news_."

He thought on how to answer that one. Well, the truth was out the window, that's for sure. And... it would take a little long to bring a lie together that was crafty and vague enough to work. Distraction! Our favorite chibi pumped a fist in the air at the new idea that sounded _perfect._

"Well, actually..." He turned his head and spotted something that went along with the plan as though God was propping a stage. "Sasuke!! Oh. Em. Gee!!"

"Eh..._What_?" he asked totally bewildered at the sudden squealing. What in the world could he possibly be looking at?


	5. So Pretty When You Sleep

I love this. It's so heart warming!! I make myself laugh. That's the Europian in me. Remember to tell me what you think! I'm trying to get up to chapter ten up tonight.

* * *

_Chapter: 5- So Pretty When You Sleep_

"Kittens!! They're so cute!! Can we look? Please? It's only six thirty..." He folded his hands and stuck his lip up to the taller boy. He in turn bit his lip and fought down his rather persistant sweat and blush.

_Why does he have to look like that? He looks like a girl for Heaven's sake! _

"Pwease Sasuke??"

Sasuke pulled his thoughts that were threatening to fall into the gutter back to this world. Sighing he nodded. "Yes, you can look at the kittens..."

"Really?!"

"Yes, just don't expect me to co--"

"Come on!!" He grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him across the street to where the box sat. "Aww!!" Naruto gushed after they had reached the desired point. He nealed down beside the container. "Lookit 'em Sasuke!!"

He looked. "Okay?"

"Don't be so heartless for once. Just this one time, allow that chunk of ice to melt and feel something?"

Sasuke bent down beside him. "I have feelings."

"Che!" he scoffed. "Could've fooled me."

He sighed. "Do I need to prove it to you now?"

"I'd like that," the blonde said picking one up. "Ohhhhh... It's a black neko. She's so cute!" He put their noses together and turned his head back and forth, causing them to do an eskimo rub. Sasuke stuck out his tongue in disgust.

"Naruto, you don't know where that thing's been, or how long it's been out here for that matter." He shot him a fiery glare that could melt the sun.

"Point?" He set the kitten down back in the box, and turned his full attention to Sasuke.

Said Uchiha frowned. "You could catch typhis, and I don't feel like going back to the hospital. I mean, we just left that God-forbidden hellhole."

"It's your fault you were there in the first place," he said trying his best to defend himself.

He shot him he fiercest trademark glare that he could muster on his porcilean face. "Okay,if I remember correctly--" he narrowed his eyes "--it's your fault I was out in the rain anyway."

"Uhm, no actually. I never asked you to come out there and get me you know. I was content on closing it myself. I didn't need help." He crossed his arms and turned his nose up in a pout.

"Yeah,okay. You were totally capable. I mean, you were even falling_ into _me when you were pulling. Those are true signs ofindepentancy."

Naruto whirled his head around and prepared to whine for the umptenth time that day. "What the hell is your problem?!" He unconsciously layed his hand on the edge obf the cardboard box sitting beside him. "I mean, I drop a subject five minutes later; you hold shit for a couple hours!!"

_Great,_ Sasuke thought to himself. _He's throwing a fit. That's just what I need right now: another person who's against me._

The blonde caught the look of dismay that flashed across his face and then disappeared less than a moment later. He sighed to himself debating on weather or not to confront this slight obsticle; even Chibi-Naruto ((who will now be referred to as CN)) sat in his cranial abode in contemplation. Deciding against his better judgement once more, he opened his mouth and spoke to his so called 'friend.'

"What's wrong now?" he moped as a kitten approched him in the box. "Nobody can switch emotions like that."

"There's nothing wrong, Dobe. And I'm not switching emotions. I was never happy to begin with."

"Aww... come on Uchiha... What'll make you truly happy then?" He went taut. "Wait--No... don't answer that..."

Too late. He was already smirking and closing in on the blonde's face. "Now, what kind of question is that?"

"Hold on there Uchiha." He pulled his head back and leaned as far as he could without falling over. "You promised me..."

"And I keep my word." He pushed further. "I told you I was going to press my luck."

"I didn't think you meant it though!!" He held the box tightly to keep from toppling over.

"And why wouldn't I? Since When do I stop doing something for the sake of one person?"

Naruto cast him a frown. "Why don't you?"

Sasuke just smirked. "Last time, I got hurt."

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah. Like I don't know how that feels."

"Aww." He ghosted his lips over the other boy's, mocking his words. "Don't be like--"

"EYAAAAAHHHH!!!" he screamed into Sasuke's face, causing the boy to pull back in shock.

"Geez Naruto!! I'm sorry!! You didn't have to--"

"It scratched me!!" he shrieked into oblivion as he tried his best to ease his pain. "It really scratched me!! I can't believe it!!" He waved his hand around in the air in an attempt to rid the sting. "I just got this hand fixed," he whined as tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Ah... Dobe?"

"Mmmmm..." he groaned. "It huuuuuurts..." He pulled the hand to his chest and began rocking. "It really does; I think the skin's gone raw..."

Sasuke sighed. "Stop whinning you chiken-shit..." He reached in to the box and pulled out the closest kitten. "Is this it?" he asked as he held the golden kitten up to him. Naruto sniffled and nodded. "Good."

Naruto stared at him through watery eyes. "Huh?"

"I'm taking him home then."

"Now wait a second!!" Naruto stood up with Sasuke and stared him in the eye. "It scratched me!! On my bad hand!! It hurts way worse than before... And you're taking it home?"

"Yes. If you're going to bitch about it, just get your own that can assault me when I'm at your house."

Naruto slouched and pouted. "You won't be over there. And I can't have pets in my apartment... As bad as the place is already, the landlord doesn't allow them."

"So?"

"So I can't get one!! Otherwise I would, just so I could make it grow up to kick your cat's ass!!"

Sasuke chuckled. Yes, chuck-led. "Your cat couldn't ever beat mine. I'd make sure he grows up just like me."

"Stoic and annoying?"

"Noble and strong."

"Che... oh yeah. I so wish I could get one, just to show you up this time."

Sasuke sent him a challenging look. "Really?"

"Uh... yes?"

"Well then." He bent over and looked into the box, one hand holding his new kitten, the other in his pocket. "Why don't you pick one, and we'll see how this turns out?"

"I already _told_ you. I can't have a pet."

"But I can."

"Excuse me??"

He smiled at him, genuine and true. "If you pick one, I''ll take it home for you. That way, you get your kitten, and you don't get your privledges stolen."

Naruto stared at him for a while before his face lit up in an instant. "You mean that??" He nodded, and the toyish blonde bent over and scanned the box for the perfect match. "Ah!" He bent in and pulled one out instantly. "Can I have this one?"

Sasuke eyed it before he cocked hs head in wonder. "Why? It's black... and it looks bored... it doesn't match you at all."

"Aww... but yours doesn't match you. And I have the perfect name for her!!"

"And that would be..?"

"Ankouku!!"

Sasuke shook his head. "You would be so literal wouldn't you?"

"That's not literal! And it's way better than any name you could come up with for yours."

The Uchiha bent his neck to look the tiny, golden tabby in the eyes. Why was it that it just happened to be the smallest in the box? And why was it so freaking cute? Aww... And why where its eyes so pretty a blue?? _Oh great... I'm fawning. Well... I should check first..._ He picked the cat up and examined its belly for a few seconds. _Alright, so it's a girl._ Placing the cat back in his arms comfortably, he returned his pretty gaze to Naruto.

"Mizuki. I'm calling her Mizuki."

"Aww... I hate you."

"Why?"

"Your name totally rivals mine... It makes it seem like our babies should hate each other."

"Our babies huh?"

"Yes!! Lookit 'em!! They're only a few weeks old." He started cooing to his kitten, and it batted at his nose.

Sasuke groand and looked away. "So... we've got Ankouku and Mizuki... Darkness and Beautiful Moon in English, ne?"

"Yes. And it works well now that I think about it."

Sasuke frowned. "I thought you said that they should probably be rivals?"

"I did!! But, now that I think about it, the names go so well."

The brunette sighed and shook his head. "Alright. Well... that's added some time. No more stalling you loser. I don't want it too dark when you're walking home, okay?"

"Fine..." Naruto collected his kitten in his hands and began walking. "Come on then!!" Sasuke opened up his school jacket and placed the yellow kitten inside. buttoning it up, the feline could stick out its head and front paws as they walked. Without his hands being occupied, Sasuke placed them in his pockets. They contently made their way, just like that, to the very good side of town where the Uchiha family resided.

"Oh wow!!" Naruto squealed ten minutes later as they strode up to the lavish mansion. "Sasuke!! This place is_ huge_!!"

"Tch... I guess," he said boredly as he flipped open the pass-code box. Entering the eight digit number, the gates creeked came alive. Opening up to the pair, the broad iron gates gave way to reveal a long, wide walkway.

"You guess?? This place is humungous!! Or did you _not _notice??"

Sasuke gave him a long, bored look. "I've been living in places like this my whole life," h e said shrugging as he began to step his way along the path. "It's no change for me."

Naruto followed him in awe as he only seemed to brood. "So, you've been living in places this big all your life... and you aren't happy?"

"Why would I be?" he asked solemnly, turning his head to gaze at him with an undistinguishable look on his face. "The only places I've ever been that were smaller are our _many _Summer homes. Living in places like this make things seem... empty."

"Empty?" Naruto asked somewhat confused. He did say empty, but the thought hadn't registered in his mind. I mean, a place like this can't be empty. There have to be people inside to fill it up, right? "I don't get it."

The brunette sadly shook his head. "You wouldn't would you? You live in an apartment. Not much is needed to feel at home there."

"Sasuke... I _wish _I had a place like this to live in."

"Not if you were living in it alone."

"What are you talking about? Don't you live with your parents. And your brother?"

"First off," he stepped around a bush that had moved its wat into the street. With a quick twist of his leg, it was off of the path and back in the underbrush. "Itachi is gone. And secondly, I might as well be alone with these people. I told you already, they don't care. They wouldn't even notice when I'm not here if it weren't for the damn security."

"Hm?" He absent-mindedly rubbed his cat between the ears, erupting a purr from the midnight-colored feline. "I really hate to sound repeative, but I don't understand. I still don't see how parents couldn't care about their own kid..."

Sasuke sighed as took the last step to the door. "You'll see soon enough," he said as he placed his hand on the recongnition pad. With a sequence of beeps, a lock could be heard from the other side of the door. Satisfied with the wait, the obsidian eyed teen turned the knob and pushed the door open.

"Ahn! Tadaima!!" he said rather loud and rather quickly.

"Teme... why are shouting? You're going to deafen Mizuki..."

"Don't worry. I'll be sure nothing goes wrong. I want her to beat Ankouku with absolute ease. Although... that might be too brutal..." Naruto scowled as he watched the other teen walk over to another box. This one had many buttons and a flashing light on it. He pushed a button and paused as a screaching buzz reverberated throughout the house.

"Hello?" came a heavily accented Spainish voice from inside the box.

"Oi, Rosita?"

"Si, Sasuke-sama. What do you request?"

He rolled his eyes and sighed before turning back to the thing mounted on the wall. "Do we have any cardboard boxes?"

"Si! A shipment of your--" he pressed a button to block the word "-- has come in today. I haven't given the boxes to the trash attendent yet. How many do you need?"

"Two. Oh, and, Rosita?"

"Si?"

"Try not to make that kind of declaration again?"

"OH! Sasuke-sama, is someone here with you?"

He sighed again, this time putting his forehead to the wall. "Yes."

"Ayah!!" she shouted through the intercom. "I'm so sorry!! I'll get you your boxes right away!!"

"You do that." And he got off the wall.

"Sasuke-teme!! Don't do that again!!" Said Uchiha arched a brow at him. "You almost squished Mizuki!!"

"Hm?" He looked down and saw the tiny cat. "She's alright. Look, she's sleeping. Stop worrying like that."

"Hmp... So, who was that?" the tiny boy asked as e followed his commerad up a flight of stairs. "A maid of yours?"

"Yeah. Her name is Rosa." He took the last step and pushed himself up hard. "She's the only person that I actually talk to around here. No one else pays any attention." He scoffed. "Maybe it's just because she gets paid to serve me though." Turn.

Naruto looked over his shoulder and stuck out his top lip in thought. "So... where is everyone?"

"Hm? Who's everyone?" Turn again.

With his kitten close to his chest, the blonde pouted in place of pondering. "I mean your parents. Didn't you say that they lived here with you?"

"Yeah. They're probably on the other side of the house. Or outside. Most likely, they're in the den planning, counting money, or something." Another turn.

"You make them sound so vain."

"Are they not?" He pushed open another door after they'd gone through at least three hallways. "As far as I'm concerned, they're more self-infatuated than anyone else I know." He stepped in to the room and looked over his shoulder. "Coming?"

"Uh... I don't think I shou--"

"Come on." He grabbed the other boy by the arm and pulled him inside. After giving him a gental toss, he turned around and shut the door.

"Why'd you do that?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"What?"

He gave him an even glare. "Lock the door."

"Oh." He made his way to the bed, psuhing the blonde lightly in totally disregard as he passed. "I always do. It's a subconscience thing." He flopped on the bed and lyed on his back, arms up over his head. Mizuki took this as her cue to wiggle out of his jacket and curl up into a ball at the foot of his bed. "You know, you can sit down Dobe. There are more than enough chairs in here."

He was right. The room was pretty big. He had a love seat, desktop computer, workdesk and chair combo where it sat, a laptop bag that was no doubt occupied beside it, wide-screen plasma television set ((big surprise there)), windows that stretched from the ceiling to the floor... More easily said, his room was like a hotel honeymoon suite with the complete package and more.

Naruto took a breath with Ankouku still in his arms and took a seat at the computer desk. "Hey, Sa-suke."

"What?" he croaked out through a half asleep state.

"Can I check my E-mail on here?"

"E-yeah," the ominous boy said as he pushed himself up. "Here, I have to put in the password."

"Just tell me what it is, Teme."

Sasuke scoffed and turned his head. "Yeah right."

"Why not? I'm not going to be on here any other time. And you can always just change it afterwards right?" He turned around in the swivel-chair, cat in hand; stoking its head all the while. "And you look like you need to sleep. Don't think I didn't hear you sneeze a million times today. Your cold is going to get worse if you don't rest."

"And you care why?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe it's becauuuuuse... oh, that's right. I'm stuck with you for at least a month!! As highly a doubt it may be, I don't want to get sick thanks."

"Fiiiine." He lay back down, this time on his stomach, smashing his nose into the pillows and bending one leg to better acomidate himself. "It's Akagan."

"Red eyes??" He typed it in regardless. "Any reason for that?" The computer whirled and came to life.

"Yeah." He snuggled a bit against his sheets, feeling sleep pull on him, trying to make him surrender to its beckoning softness. "I don't know if you saw it, but in the entrance hall, there's this huuuuuuge snake with rubies for eyes. They're pretty."

Naruto perked at the odd word. "Pretty? That's a bit out of character for you, don't you think?"

Sasuke tried to stifle a yawn with no such previelace. "Not really. If anything, it suits me rather well."

Naruto clicked on the mail icon for his Hotmail account. "And why is that?"

"I say lots of things are pretty believe it or not."

"I think I'll take the not." He opened the one mail that couldn't wait till he got to school the next day: this one was from Kakashi. "Mind giving me an example?"

"Well," he said yawning again, "there's always yamurgakoogan..."

"Uhm... what?" Naruto turned around and was stunned. CN just stared along with him at the incredible sight before them: he was sleeping. Sleeping! And he didn't look so hardcore. Lucky for that cat though. If it hadn't gotten out of his jacket when he was still on his back, it would have been smothered.

"Aw..." Naruto cooed. "Look Ankouku. He's so cute when he's asleep. With his hands all up to his face, and his mouth only part way open like that... he looks like you could just hug him." The blonde was happy he was asleep after saying that. He could only imagine what the Uchiha would've done to him had he been awake. Heaving a sigh of relief, he turned back to the glowing monitor. "Now let's see what Kakashi wanted..." Before he could start reading though, there was a knock at the door.

"Sasuke-sama? It's Rosa. I brought your boxes."

He stirred on the bed. "'an you git 'em Dobe?" Shit! Was he awake the whole time?

_Does he just cat-nap like that? _"Uh-huh," he said nodding as he got up. _Geez... please tell me he didn't hear what I said... Che... yeah right. _He opened the door and pulled the boxes in, thanking the lady as he did so. Shutting it with his foot, he put them on the floor.

"Lock it?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." He turned around and locked the door before he went and sat at the computer again. "Hey, are you like... _awake_ awake? Or just... sleeping for the most part?"

"Da shecon one..."

He giggled. "You sure sound like it. Hey, after I check my mail, can I leave, or do you need something?"

Sasuke shook his head on the bed. "Someone has to walk you out really. Wake me up when you're ready to go. Otherwise, security will be after your ass."

"Uh... okay." He turned back to the computer to read is message. This time, he might actually get in a word or two. After reading for a few minutes, he pulled back and stretched his arms over his head. _That was rather... satisfying. You know, it's so lame... it's believable. It does sound true though... Yeah, I'll take that as an excuse, I mean, the kid did look kind of scared._

His letter? It had Kakashi's excuse to what he had walked into earlier that day. Want to see it?

_Naruto: _

Before you go around running your mouth to everyone about today, give me a chance to explain what was happening. The Son kid is actually the son of a friend of mine. The kid was terrified to get his physical from anyone other than his father... that reason is unknown to me... so Son-kun asked me to do this for him. When we were younger, we sparred often as growing martial artists. As good as he was, he always told me I was quite the opponent. That may seem irrelevant, but that is the absolute reason that he asked me to do it. He thought that makybe if I scared the kid into it, he would let me. Unfortunately, as soon as I touched him, he freaked out. He really did grab me and nearly knocked me over. How we got on the desk, I haven't the slightest clue, but the 'kiss' was from the sudden impact. I beg of you, don't tell anyone about this?

Oh, and thank you as well. After you bursted in on us, he let me do the physical. I still don't know why those people let me pass the test to get certified for that...

--Hatake Kakashi

Naruto yawned, bearing his rather small, yet very pointed teeth. He doesn't really know why he has them, they just grew in like that. Closing his nose in on the small clock on the computer, he read the time. "Seven..." He stood up and made his way over to one of the windows that was at least twice his size. Yep, it was dark. Really dark. Unusually dark for Spring. He groaned before turning around to look over his shoulder. Still sleeping.

He walked over as the kittens jumped into one of the boxes together, no dout wrestling. Leaning his knee onto the bed, it sunk under his slight weight. "Sasuke..." he called shaking the boy by his shoulder. "Come on Sasuke... get up!!" After he only groaned and rolled over, Naruto turned and sat on the bed completely. "Lazy bastard..." He sent him a glare over his shoulder, but he gave it up soon after. Taking one rather shaky hand, he placed it on top of the Uchiha's turned head. "I hate you... you do know that right?" He wasn't really expecting a response, hell, he wasn't going to get one anyway, asleep or not. "But... it's kind of hard when you're like this..." He took that same hand and began to run it through the raven locks. "You look so pretty and harmless, it's almost impossible to believe that you're the same person that beats the hell outta me and molests me senseless..." His fingers reached the end of the charcoal strands, so he moved them back too the scalp and began gentally raking them down again. "You know, I always wondered why you started doing that... It's one thing that never made any sense to me." He stopped and quickly lifted his hand when he heard a noise make its way out of the other teen's throat. The enigma rolled over again, coming face to face with the blonde.

Something had to have posessed him for what he did next. He actually took his thumb and wiped away the tiny bit of drool that was making its way down his chin. "Messy sleeper?" He wiped it off on his pants and used the same thumb to trace the pale cheek. A frown took his pleasant smile's place though. "I wish you'd tell me why you do that to me now... I really want to know..."

He heaveed a sigh and stood up. "I think I should go home now. It's already insanely dark... I do not feel like getting caught up on the way home tonight... Well... I guess I'll see you tomorrow Sasuke!!" he added in a somewhat whispered tone over his shoulder with his eyes closed. _Why do I always do that? Heh... I guess it's 'cause I'm still scared to look. Whatever. Stop sapping yourself._ He took his first step to leave and almost tripped over the kittens that had tumbled their way out of the box. "Oh yeah!!" He picked his black cat up. "I'll definately see you tomorrow, Ankouku!!" he gushed as he rubbed their noses again that day. "You know, you have the prettiest red eyes I've ever seen Miss Kitty." She just looked at him and tilted her head. He set her back down and went to leace once more.

"AHHH!!" He could've sworn his scream was heard at least throughout the town. "Holy shit, Uchiha!!" he breathed as he tried to catch the air that was forever lost to him. "Don't do that ever again!! I can't take it!!"

"What are you talking about?" he mumbled into the blonde's ear, eyes still closed, body still limp. That pull had taken the little bit of energy he had left. "I do stuff like this to you all the time."

The tiny teen turn his head and scowled at the boy that still wasn't looking at him. "Is that so? I'm afraid I forgot the countless times you've pulled me to your bed and ended up with your arm about my waist like this."

"I guess so."

Nauto practically growled at him and then stared up at the canopy of the lavish, king sized bed. "Plan on letting me go?" he asked after some silent moments had passed.

"No."

"Why?"

"It's. Too. Dark." The pale boy pulled the whiskered one close and pretty much snuggled ino his shoulder. "I told you, if it got too dark, you weren't going home."

"You never said that!!" he shrieked, trying to sit up, only to be knocked back down by his restraint.

"Really?" He opened his eyes just a little to take in the bewildered look on the tanned boy's face. "It must've slipped my mind."

"Well gee, Uchiha. As much as I love your hospitality, I'm gonna have to pass on this one."

"Why?" he asked frowning in his half-sleeping state. "That wouldn't be very wise you know..."

"Point?" He tried to pull again, but it was like he was cemented to the bed. "I have things to do at home. I need to get there."

"Then we're driving you," the brunette stated as dryly as possible.

Instant panic. "No! You can't drive me!"

Sasuke opened his eyes all the way this time. "Geez, Dobe... How many times are you going to scream at me today?? The first few times I can understand, but now I'm just being nice. What the hell?"

"I'm sorry," he stammered. "It's just... I can't have anyone over. That's all."

"Alright. You didn't have to cut my head off about it."

"I'm sorry," he said again, this time turning away.

Sasuke sighed. "It's fine... Oi, why are you so freakin' stiff?? It's a _bed_, ever hear of 'em?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah... It's just how I sleep now."

"Now? Why now? You slept different before?" He nodded grimly, still refusing to look th other boy dead in the eyes. "Before _what_ exactly?"

He felt a sharp pain shoot through his body before he answered the question. It wasn't triggered by it; this was a normal occurance. It just hurt more this time because the subject was brought up. Nonetheless, Nauto gave a reply, CN still rocking in his imaringary corner. "Before I came to school that day."

"_Which_ day?" He asked the question like a preoccupied child playing in a flower garden. Just tracing the petals with his finger; that's what he was doing to the hem of Naruto's tee-shirt. The jacket was still open, so he didn't have to worry about that...

"You know which day." He actually turned around this time. Sasuke looked up and forgot everything he was doing. The boy's eyes weren't blue anymore, they were like a cloudy grey. And they looked so sad as he swam around in his horrific thoughts and memories. "It was the day that they won't let me forget."

_Oh God... EVERY GOD!! Why is he still talking about this? _Contrary to his current panic, Sasuke kept a calm, interested look on his face. "You know, you don't have to tell me this..."

"I'm not going to either. I don't think I'll tell anyone about my scars."

"Hm?" Scratch that last one. He threw his panic out the window. Yup, he's that inable to multitask. One emotion at a time was all he could take. "Scars huh?" He picked up his jostling habbit around the tiny boy's navel again.

"Yes... You're not going to hear about it, so don't try."

"I'm not," he stated clear as possible while he slid his hand up the shirt finally. "Hey..."

"Hn?" the blonde called back when the ghost-like boy started circling his small abs.

"Why don't you do anything when I do this?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. Too lazy?"

"Doubt it. You fight for anything and everything. Why not this?"

"..." He was silent. Well, mostly. His deep breath was heard and then released in a quick huff.

"Are you giving me an answer?"

He sighed. "It's inevitable, is it not? You're going to do it even if I try to overpower you. Am I right?"

"Uh..."

"Yes, I am. So--" He grabbed the hand that had stopped toying with his stomach and picked it up out of his shirt. "-- get it over with." And he placed it on the crotch of his pants.


	6. Cooking Up Trouble?

_Chapter: 6- Cooking Up Trouble??_

Shock. Guilt. Mortification. Any one of those alone wouldn't be able to describe what the Uchiha was feeling at the moment. Why the hell would he do something like that..?

Finally snapping himself into reality again, he jerked his hand away. "THE HELL?! What's wrong with you??" he shouted in a very high, strained voice; very unfitting to him. He was sitting up now and looking down at the dainty blonde. "Why would you do something like that?" he breathed hysterically. That action... it just wasn't in character for him at all.

Naruto just looked at him. And looked at him. And stared. He only blinked maybe three times in the two minutes that passed. It seemed like an eternity that stretched into nothing for Sasuke. It was driving him mad in the sanctuary that was his own mind.

"Are you gonna answer me??" Stare. Stare. Blink. Stare. "Can you hear me??" Gaze... "Can you even _see_ me?" he asked frowning. "This is bullshit..." He got onto his knees on the bed in front of the blonde and leaned over him...

((MEANWHILE WITH NARUTO))

_Why did you do that?!  
_  
I don't know...

_Why **would** you do it?!_

I don't know...

_Why is it that you don't remember anything important?!_

... I try, it's just...

It isn't fun to argue with yourself and find no answers. I keep trying to forget _bad_ things, but it's not helping me. I still have those tendencies from back then. And the twinges of hurt are constant reminders. Every time I go outside, I see something that triggers a distant memory, buried deep beneath the blankets of pain that life has piled onto it. It doesn't keep them away though. They just find a way to seep through and attack me. Each time, it gets worse. You'd think I don't have any problems since I volunteer at a hospital right? Wrong. That's why I won't see a doctor about it, about anything. Because I'm scared. I see what happens behind those doors all the time. I see people crying and screaming in pain because one little thing was a tad-bit askew. What if that was me? I don't want to be hurt like that.

Getting hurt leads to being in physical pain. It has a lot of forms doesn't it? Burn, freeze, tear, sliced... you can bleed so many ways, each one increasingly painful as time passes. But, you can get used to it, can't you? Isn't that why people become alcoholics? Because they get used to it? So, it must go for everything else shouldn't it? But, some pain can't always be forgotten...

Not like this. Not like the pain I have. This is going to go on forever. I can't forget that night that threw me in to the outlook I have now. I was so happy once, just a kid that liked to play outside with his dad. Hm... Now that I think about it, I can't remember him much; just that last time I saw him, and it wasn't very pretty to look at. It isn't that great to remember either. But, when I tried to think about them, all I see is them sitting there, slumped and unmoving. And it was all my fault. Their wishes were torn from them, right in front of their eyes, and then….

((NORMAL))

The pale boy was still hunched over him when he came back around to his current reality. With a slight scream, the smaller boy pushed him away and rolled off of the bed.

"What are you doing?!" Naruto shouted. "Are you nuts?!"

"Yes," he replied as he straightened out again, stretching along the bed's length.

The tiny boy scowled. "Okay… Why did you do that?"

"Because you were totally out of it. I had to do _something._"

"But that?" He slouched with his arms resting on the edge of the huge bed. "You couldn't think of anything else to do but that?"

He shook his head from side to side; more like rolled really since he was on his back. "Nope. One track mind."

"Doesn't mean you had to kiss me like that... With the tongue and the... Blech!!" He squirmed a bit and cringed at the thought.

He stuck out his bottom lip. "But I wanted to."

Naruto sat fot just a minute before he dicided on his retort. "I hate you.."

"You already told me that." He turned his head in the pillows to look at the boy that was still propped up by the bed's fold. "Remember?"

"Eh?" Bepuzzlement was always great when it was confusing the other person, not you.

"I was practically dead. Pretty much, I was sleeping, but I think you were talking to me. It's kind of all I heard was that part. There was more, I'm sure about that, but it was all incoherent. Your petting me kind of helped in that." He smiled dreamily before closing his eyes against the white fluffiness again. "And I need to sleep anyway. Committee shit gets you..."

"Teme... is that really all you heard?" He sounded almost hopeful. His eyes weren't so dull anymore, Sasuke observed. _Let's try keeping it that way_

"I thought you were going to call me something else? I mean, going form surname to bastard is nice, but what ever happened to the 'I'll call you Sasuke from now on' thing?" He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at the tiny boy.

"Ah... I dunno." He looked down at the blue comforter and began making swirly patterns with his finger. "It just doesn't fit now. I don't usually think about things until after so... it just dawned on me."

"Then... why didn't you just say that you weren't going to call me 'Uchiha' anymore?"

"I'm sorry."

Sasuke sat all the way up and folded his legs in front of him. Placing his elbows on his knees, he leaned over and leveled eyes with Naruto. "Why do you keep saying you're sorry?"

"Used to it," he dropped as flatly as possible as he stared at the ground.

"What the hell could make you so used to saying that?"

"Memories..." And that one word brought back all his anguish. His pretty eyes went blank and pale again in his unease. "Memories don't let you forget, and neither do the people I live around."

_No! I said stay away from this!! Tactic change!! _"Oi... and don't freak on me becase you look like you could right now, but do your parents know you're here?"

Expression didn't change. "Don't think so."

"Did you _tell_ them?"

Still unchanged. "No."

"Are you going to call home then?"

This time, something that looked a bit inquisitive graced him. "Why?"

So Sasuke screwed up his face in confusion, almost missing the glint that made its way back into the blonde's eyes. _Who the hell acts like this? I mean, it isn't rocket science... _He really scratched his head. "Alright. You do you. Whatever works."

"'kay." He stood up and made his way over to one of the big windows, this time noticing the ledge that was wide enough for him to lay on. He settled for sitting. Putting his aching head against the glass, he closed his eyes and tried to purge his body of the yucky feelings that lurked inside. "I'm tired. And I don't have anything to draw on to keep me up. Plus, my head hurts."

"Well...I'm pretty sure that we have aspirin. And... Oh shit..." He layed down on the bed and arched his back to reach into his pocket. Fishing it out, he sat back up. "The doctor asked me to give this to you."

"Dr. Gekko??" He leaned over and grabbed it out of his hand just before he reached his stretching limit to falling over. "Oh! It's the one I was doing during our... misunderstanding." He unfolded it and placed it in front of him on the ledge. He laughed to himself softly, back still to the other boy. "You'd think it's an angsty picture the way the conversation was going, wouldn't you?"

"It _sounded_ like you were making a... dark picture. I mean, did you hear those lines you were making? If it isn't angst, what is it?"

"Gravitation."

"What? How the hell do you make a picture of gravitation??"

The blonde shook his wild hair about his head. "It's a comic. Manga in fact. And it's pretty good. I think they made it into an anime too. I haven't had time to watch for it."

"Really... what kind is it?"

He bit his lip and turned his eyebrows up debating for a while. "Sure you wanna know?" he asked trying to psych the boy out.

"Yes. Now, are you going to tell me?"

"It's a... yaoi."

His body went back a bit in subconscience shock. "Yaoi?! Isn't that the... gay stuff??"

"Yes. I drew the two main characters... it isn't smutty though. This one's more shonen-ai. They're just holding each other, sleeping under a cherry tree. Wonder if I should color it..." He creased his brow and rubbed his chin in thought.

_Wow... I think I'm speechless... Hell, nothing's coming out of my mouth, that would say I am, right? Yes. Alright, Naruto reads about gay men... and their love affairs... in comic format... Oh my god!! That means there's pictures!! UGH!! That seems so wrong for him... _"Why would you read that?"

He turned around and looked at the teen that had thrown him the question. "Why wouldn't I? I enjoy the plot of it. It's not like I'm reading it just to look at them having sex in freeze frames."

Cue the eye twitch for Sasuke. "But the thought of it... Do you read the sound effects too?"

"Of course."

Sasuke shuddered. _So... that means... he has to read things like... doku dokun...and... OH GODS ABOVE!! _"Do you put emotion into it??"

"Yeeessssssss..." He continued shading his picture with a pencil he had convieniently found in his pocket like nothing was going on. "Otherwise, it would be like hearing a computer read it to me."

And now he was getting queasy... "You don't... you know... get_ hard _off of it... do you??"

He put his pencil down and looked him full in the face.

"Yes Sasuke, as a matter of fact. It gives me my kink for the day until you come along and steal my breath; with a kiss as of recent." He turned around rolling his eyes like he just came straight out of the projects.

Stun. "Are you ... serious??"

He sighed. "If it makes you feel better, then no, I'm not."

"Come on!!" he practically whined. "I can't tell when you're lying, ever."

"You can't??" He twisted back around and put on a puppy-dog face. "Really? Why?"

"YOU'RE TOO FUCKING CUTE!!"

"What??" he asked blinking in shock.

"It doesn't matter if you're lying or not, you have a baby-face. It's kind of hard to distinguish actually."

"Teme... Are you... _pouting??_"

"No," he stated as he tossed him an evil glare. "I'm tired, remember."

"Yeah, yeah." He waved him off, totally disregarding his dignity. "Hey... Can I like... eat something?" he asked a bit wary.

"No. You have to stay in here all weekend, and you can't have anything to eat or drink until lunch at school Monday. We don't fill guests here."

"...You're not serious... are you?" he asked, gazing at him as though he were totally petrified.

"Whoa..." Sasuke just stared at him in shock. Who would ask a question like that? Who would believe something like that to even ask the question? "No... I'm not--"

"Oh thank God!!" He stood up and jumped onto the bed. Kneeling over to the other boy he pasted a smile onto his face. "Do you have a map of this place??" Really, if he had a tail, it would be wagging uncontrolably, probably tearing the comforter.

"A what?"

"A map Teme!!" he whined. "I don't know my way around here!!"

He sighed and pushed the boy back enough to sit up straight again. "No. We don't have maps of Casa de Uchiha. But, we do have tour guides." He got off the bed and padded over to the door. "What kind of food do you want?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Kind?" the blonde asked from his spot on the bed. "Whadda ya mean?"

"Ughhhhhh..." He slouched over and placed his forehead on the door. Bringing it back up, he slammed it down again. And again... A few more times...

"What are you doing??"

"Trying." BANG! "To wake." BANG! "Myself." Bang! "Up." Bang... He pulled away from the door. "And it isn't working."

"Maybe that's because you aren't sleeping??"

"Then explain to me why you haven't a clue on what the simpliest things mean?"

"Does it really matter?" the whiskered boy asked, tipping his head to the surface of the bed.

Sasuke groaned and pocketed something before finally pulled the door open. "Just come on... Oh, and put these on," he added bending over. When he rose again, he tossed him a pair of slippers. Naruto caught them just before they hit him in the face and scowled. Mumbling incoherently, he slipped them on and made his way to follow the other boy. "Don't complain about it. If you don't have grips on your footwear, you're bound ot fall on your ass in this kitchen. It's mopped at least three times a day in there."

"Why?"

"Dunno." They kep at the same pace all the way to the dining room, staying silent the entire time. Once they made it in, Sasuke motioned for Naruto to take a seat at the lavish table. It took him a while on the slipery floor, prompting an 'I told you so' from the Uchiha, but he made it. When the boy was comfortably down, the obsidian-eyed boy stepped over to a large window. Tapping on it, he aroused the largest man the blonde boy had ever seen. Staring, he listened to what the two were saying.

"Ah! Sasuke-sama! I don't usually see you in this part! What'd you need?" Naruto figured that he came off as the grandfatherly type of person. But, apparently, Sasuke didn't think so. He didn't look too interested in socializing with him.

"I'm not sure too much Ben. Take a look at the kid over there." He gestured to the boy at the table with his thumb. "What does it look like might be good for that case?" The man looked over the pale teen's shoulder and squinted at Naruto, making him hunch his shoulders and pull himself tightly close. The man pulled back into the window laughing.

"A tad bit scrawny dontcha think?"

Sasuke scoffed. "Don't take frame so definately. The kid eats like a human dumptruck. Just has a high metabolism."

"Hm... Well. What does your friend usually eat then? I can't spin anything off of nothing."

"Oi! Dobe!"

"What?" the tiny boy asked, just a tad bit irritated. They were talking about him after all. And it was like he wasn't even there.

Sasuke just sent him his evil, make-your-brain-scream trademark smirk. "Don't scowl. It ruins your pretty face." _Hatred _was just about visable around the boy. It was as if he had an aura of loathing enveloping him.

"...What Uchiha."

"What do you eat on the regular basis?"

"Ramen. Or... that chicken stuff. You know, the little nugget things? You know what? Really, I just eat anything cheap that can be made in a few minutes."

The brunette scrunched up his face in disdain. "Why? You don't know how to cook?"

"Oh no! I'm an excellent cook!! I just... can't afford everything. I mean, working at the hospital gets me some money, but not much since I'm not certified yet."

"Certified?" the cook called Ben asked. "Certified for what?"

"Take a guess," Sasuke scoffed. Ben just shrugged and waited for an answer. "He's a nurse."

And the rolly-polly man's eyes grew wide. "_He's_ a nurse?"

"Yes, _he_ is."

"Dammit Teme!! Stop saying it like that!!"

"What?!" he whined turning around to the boy that was shouting at him. He found him to be standing now with a rather... annoyed look on his face._ Damn..._

"Why the hell do you keep saying he and him and his like that?! Like, I'm _not_ a guy?! It's a bit degrading you know!!"

"Come on... don't shout Uzumaki. And besides, I can't _help _what other people think."

"Then tell them when I walk in the room!!" Sasuke hadn't noticed that Naruto had been steadily making his way in front of him. When he finally did, he was standing under his nose and glaring up to him, firey hate plainly visable in his eyes. "I don't like people thinking I'm your bitch or that I'm just some chick with short hair!!"

Sasuke sighed and pulled the thing from earlier out of his pocket. Turning the tiny black device to a camera, he clicked something, and the blinking red light went out. "Ben, give us a second here?" He nodded and closed the window that linked the two rooms together. Turning a knob, Sasuke locked it. Putting the tiny black thing back in his pocket, he faced the blonde again. "What is wrong _now_?" he asked placing his hands on the slim shoulders.

"You piss me off!! That's what!! Everywhere we happen to go together, you end up either snubbing me or belittling me. The only good thing you've done so far, is make nice-nice and get an extra kitten. You're still attacking me, and I'm pretty sure, come Monday, that you're going to be kicking my ass up and down the halls again!!" He took a breath before yelling again. "You haven't even told me why the hell you started doing either of those yet, and you insist on publicly humiliiating and groping me. You won't even let me go home dammit!!"

Sasuke took a huge breath. Running a hand through his hair, he looked way and let it out slowly. "You done?" he asked trying his best not to sound like he was rushing him. Good thing he did it right, otherwise Naruto would probably rip him apart no problem. Happy to see him nod, he pulled his hand away from the other boy's body and leaned heavily against the wall. "Alright. You've obviously got some serious problems going on _other_ than with me. If you didn't, you wouldn't be so emotionally unstable like this. What the hell is it that has you so wound up like this now?"

"I..." And he got quiet. What was he supposed to say? He decided against the truth long ago. A lie was going to be picked up quickly because he wasn't really with it... And this was what? The third time that he's had to get out of this situation. Stress wasn't something he was too good with, and this just wasn't making it any better. The pain, that was getting increasingly worse now, and the constant questions were beginning to get to his head. He was pretty sure that if Sasuke hadn't pulled him to the bed, he would have fainted from over-exertion because he was standing when his attack hit. He wasn't telling _him_ that though. And being asked and not answering was bound to cause people to come to their own incorrect assumptions.

"Forget it." Naruto snapped back to attention when he heard the deep voice again. Letting him go, Sasuke turned to open the window again.

"Huh?"

His had was still hovered over the latch when he stopped. Building up the gumption, which wasn't supposed to be that hard to begin with, he turned around and looked the other boy in the eye; black on blue. "I'm trying to help. You're not answering the questions. I'm done." He stood back to full height and turned back around. "I'm done wasting my time on it. You eat, and then we're taking you home. That's that."

_What?_ "Why? I- I thought you wanted me here?"

"I brought you here because I was worried, yes." He still wasn't looking at the boy. The first time was all he could handle at the moment. Another stare-down, and he just might fail. "But," he pressed anyway, "you're making it impossible. I can't help if you won't let me. That means, there's no point in trying anymore. One day of getting nowhere is enough don't you think?" he asked finally turing the knob back to unlock the window. Just as he removed his hand to push it open, it was bolted shut again.

"What are you _talking_ about?!" Naruto asked frantically. "Getting nowhere?? Sasuke, are you crazy?? Of course you're getting _some_where!! I'm just a very closed person now!!"

"But _why_?! Why are you like this now?? You used to be the happiest person I knew in elementary school!! Then you got all sad, then you were happy-go-lucky again. Now, you've gotten so solemn!! It's been three years that you've been acting like this. What _happened_ to you??"

Naruto bit his lip and stared hard at the ground without moving his head, so he was still facing the other boy. That's why he more so saw than heard him sigh. But then again, he was standing .between him and the wall, so he really couldn't look anywhere else. _Oh man... I hope he isn't really as tired as he says he is... I don't want him falling on me... Why am I thinking about this?? This is serious!!_ Shaking his head he stared up at the raven-haired teen again.

"You aren't going to tell me are you??" the heir asked quietly.

"I... I don't think so."

Sasuke pushed off the wall and placed his hands back on the slender pair of shoulders again. "Fine." He smirked down at the smaller schooler with a devious glint in his eye. "But make me a promise."

"Uh... W-what is it first?" He really stuttered on that one.

"Promise me that you will _let_ me comfort you. I don't want to get slapped again."

Naruto blushed. "I... I'm r-really sorry about that! I didn't mean to hit you at the hospital I was just really--!"

He was hushed by the pale finger that was placed on his lips. "It's fine. I know what it's like to be mad." He shifted his fingers from his mouth to his chin and bent down close to his face. "It makes you want to just inflict pain on anything, even yourself right?" He nodded in his hand and made a tiny gasp when he realized how soft the vice-like grip really was. "Just make sure that you never do, m-kay? That's my job."

"But--!"

"Shut up already?" And he kissed for the second time that day ((unless you count the attack in the hall when he was trying to get him to help)). And this time, he didn't push him off. He wasn't prompting it or anything, he just wasn't going to make him stop this time. So he didn't. He wasn't being shoved away, so Sasuke went at it for real. There wasn't much help; the tanned boy's lips were as unresponsive as the internet when you want to get to a really important webpage. But, nonetheless, he was letting him.

He finally pulled himself from the blonde and wiped his lips clean. "Was there a real reason for that?" he asked a bit suspicious.

Naruto only smiled at him. "You're actually trying to help me, so I figured you deserved _some_ kind of reward."

"You really are an idiot aren't you?" he more so stated laughing than shaking his head.

"But... You aren't really making me go home now, are you??" the petite boy asked not even trying to hide the hope that was dripping from his voice.

"I thought you wanted to?" Sasuke asked a bit puzzled.

Naruto swore he was going to have a fat lip tomorrow, as much as he was biting it. "I did... but... I don't think I should now."

"Why shouldn't you go home? You don't like it there?"

"It's not that!!" he practically shouted. "It's just... I don't feel like seeing the adults there is all."

"Ah. I see."

He looked up at him and smiled._ No, you really don't._ He so desperately wanted to say those words. But, he settled on this instead: "So, I can stay, right?"

"Mm... Yeah. Go upstairs and pick your room. Stick to my floor though."

"I think I'll wait till you can come with me."

"'K," he said as he turned the camera back on and unlocked the tiny window at last. "Ben! I'm coming in!!" He waited for is shout of approval before he pushed himself away from the window. "Well," he said to the blonde as he approached a door that Naruto hadn't seen before, "you can either wait here, or you can come with me."

"Where're you going?"

"To make myself something to eat. I was going to wait until you had your food but..."

"OH!! Sasuke!! Dozo, can I come?? PLEASE?!"

Sasuke just stared in shock until Ben came back up to the window again. "You really are a good cook, ain'tcha?"

"Yes sir!!" he said nodding as gleefully as he could without breaking his neck. "If you let me, I could make a lavish dinner complete with apitizers and dessert."

"Well... I think I'd like to see that." He smiled at the tiny blonde before startling Sasuke out of his daze.

"What?" he asked since he hadn't caught it the first time.

"When you come in, git yer friend an apron and such. He doesn't look like he can reach."

"Ah... sure thing Ben. Oi! Come on Dobe." For once, the door opened without somekind of input from Sasuke. This time, someone from the other side opened it.

Stepping in, Naruto just looked on in awe while his companion retrieved his cooking clothing. He had just walked into a cook's paradise. Every shelf was stocked with whatever was designated to that one wall. Every utensil and device ever invented for culinary use was hung somewhere, and everything was so easy to find. He was so busy staring, he hadn't noticed that Sasuke had walked up next to him.

"Put it on..." They put on their hairnets and aprons and found a stove by some miracle.

"S...Sasuke?" the normally hyper-active boy whispered.

"Hn?" he called back as he reached for a bowl and dug through a cabinet for something.

"I can use... anything in here right?"

"Uh-huh," he said, back still turned." Feel free to go nuts. In case you forgot, we do have a lot of money in this house."

"Right..." He zoomed off for a quick second and came back in only two trips with everything he needed.

Sasuke finally turned back around with his pot and whatever else he was planning to make in it, and he stopped as soon as he put his stuff on the table. Naruto was really going all out on this cooking thing. It looked like he was a master chef with at least ten years under his belt. Grabbing a conviently placed, nearby stool, Sasuke sat down and decided to use his bliss as an opertunity. "You seem really at home in the kitchen."

Naruto turned to him and smiled. "I like to cook. I've watched Uncle Iruka since I was really little. He and Dad were always good friends... that's what I was told anyway. I never really asked. They always said that one winter, a fox attacked Uncle Iruka and his parents out in the woods. His parents got him away, but Uncle was left all alone, and he was pretty sure that they were dead by then. He says that he was just sitting in the snow crying when the fox came back, but he can't remember anything after the mauling until he woke up. He said that he was in Dad's old house on the couch, and that he took care of him with Grandpa for as long as he needed to.

But I'm getting off topic, and it isn't my business to spread in the first place. Going back to before, I was at Uncle's house a lot during my early childhood, and he taught me the basics of cooking. After that, I just practised and did it with him whenever I could."

"So it's like... your zen thing?" Sasuke asked after listening to the whole story.

"That and writting," he said nodding. He reached over to a bowl of flour and started turning something over in it. "Writting, I can say anything through poetic beauty. Cooking, that relieves stress. They balance out as great hobbies for me."

"Right... and why are you a nurse again??"

There was a slight pause in his work, but he picked it up not even shortly after. You wouldn't have even noticed that he stopped unless you were really looking at what he was doing at the time. "That's confidential Sasuke. Sorry."

"S'alright."

"Hey, _you've_ been asking an aweful lot of questions, how bout I get a turn?"

"Have fun."

"Alright. So, where do you stand on this whole, Uchiha emprise thing?"

"I run the games, cartoons, toys, and clothing sales departments. That goes for shirts, shoes, hats, backpacks... pretty much everything that gets worn."

"So, do you have to come up with the designs?"

He sighed a bit and placed his chin in his hand. "Yeah. That's why I'm always 'brooding.' I'm tired as fuck from the night before. I've really had to make up since Itachi's gone. I've only ever had the clothes, and that was enough right there."

"Don't swear Teme," the blonde said, sticking his tongue out. "It isn't very becoming."

Sasuke scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"So Mr. Big, High and Mighty..."

"Yes Miss?"

"Bastard," he said playfully as he tossed some of the goop that he was making at him. "You shouldn't be mean to the person that's cooking for you."

"Hm?" He reached up and wiped the gooey mess off of his apron with his finger. "For me? I hought you were cooking for yourself?"

"You think I could eat all this?" he inquired, gesturing to the various pots and bowls. "A bit much don't you think?"

"Not really." He eyed the glob of uncooked slop on his finger suspiciously. "You eat like you've been starved for years." Naruto frowned for a second, but let the comment pass. "Hey, if I eat this, am I going to die??"

The blonde in question put his stirring spoon down and looked at the boy on the stool with a stern scold. "Why would you ask something like that?? Of course you aren't going to die!! If I was going to poison you, I would've done it _years_ ago."

Sasuke stopped right before the moosh reached his lips and pulled it away. "Years? What are you talking about?"

"You started bringing lunch to school, for whatever bizzare reason you have, at the start of middle school right?"

"And?"

"Where were we before middle school?"

"El-e-ment-a-ry," he mouthed slowly like the boy was stupid.

"That's right Sasuke," he said licking the spoon. Taking a second to think, he threw it into the sink and ran it under hot water for about ten seconds while he talked. "And while we were there, who _always_ disappeared at snack-time in kindergarden? Who _always_ disappeared with excused leave twenty minutes before the first lunch and didn't come back until all of them were over?" He pulled the spoon out and dried it off on his apron. "Me. I've been cooking your food since the day you sat down to _perfect_ your ABC's." How he knew that Sasuke had tutors before school was beyond anyone, but he did.

"And... why exactly was all this?"

"Our kindergarden teacher was Iruka-ou-- Oops! Not sposed to call him that... Uncle Iruka, and he always pulled me out to help him since I liked it so much. After that, he went to work in the cafeteria becuase he couldn't connect with his kids for... many a reason, and that's important when you're working with little ones. Anyway, he asked if I wanted a job because he somehow managed to make it to supervisor in the kitchen. Of course I said yes, and he talked to Grandpa about it."

"Oh." Yeah, that's all he could think of. Oh? Train of thought returning... nevermind!! Sticking the slop on his finger in his mouth finally, he smiled to himself inside, totally ignoring if the taste was delicious or rank. He found something to ask. "Grandpa?"

"Right... The third principle, the old one, was like a grandpa to me. He was always there when I didn't know where to go next; always pointing me in the right direction, giving me advice and telling me what to say next. He was a good guy really. Even though I made him out to be against me, he was most likely right by my side through the whole thing..." He stared into his bowl trying his best to stop pouring out his emotions; stop making himself so vulnerable. But, it was getting hard these days. People kept coming around, pointing, spitting out dirty names, anything they could to put him down now. Acting like that didn't bother him was making his defenses crumble away, bit by bit. Pretty soon, he was going to run ot of room to keep it all, and something was going to happen to him. Only question is what that something would be.

"Naruto?"

"Oh! I'm sorry. Did you say something?" He pulled on a smile that could pass as just having slight distraction and turned to the other boy.

"No, you've just been sitting there for... what, a whole minute now?"

"I-I have?" Sasuke nodded. "Sorry. I spaced out."

"...It's fine. Hey... why'd you rinse the spoon off every time you tasted something? I know for damn sure that the cooks around here don't. They told me so themselves."

"Ah... subconscience thing?" he suggested meekly.

"What kind of half ass excuse was that?"

"It's just... I have to okay?" he turned back to his work and went back at it. "Just leave it there alright?"

"Alright... you don't have to snap on me like that every time I ask you something..."

"Then think before you ask a question, teme."

"Won't do me much good," me mumbled. "It's not like I know anything about you anymore anyway..."

"You know, I'm sorry to hear that, but if you don't know anything, why don't you just try a bit more?"

"Excuse me Miss Bitch, but that's what questions are for. I'm sorry if they offend your tiny fucking feelings, but I can't figure out what not to say if I don't go through trial and error."

"..." He took a huge sigh and let managed to live after losing such a large whoosh of air. "I'm sorry..."

"Dammit... Okay," he basically shouted. "You aren't allowed to say sorry as long as you're in my house. Got that?"

"Huh? W... Why can't I?"

"Because you have no reason to here. You obviously say it enough elsewhere, so feel free_ not _to under death penilty."

"..." And he smiled. A real smile this time, not one that he put there so that someone would stop pestering him to see if he was okay. "Thanks, Sasuke."

"For theatening you?" he asked as he quirked a brow.

Naruto shook his head, making his shaggy yellow hair move around under the hairnet. "You're actually being productive."

"Oh... right... Yeah, we can go with that."

"Too tired to put up a fight huh?"

"Yyyyyyyyyyyyyup."

"Why don't you just go to sleep then?" he asked, turning back to his preperations. "I mean, you aren't going to die from rest."

"Hmp. Says you..." he grumbled without realizing it.

"And that's supposed to mean what? You died once?" He rolled his eyes again. Lucky for Sasuke that he did, otherwise he would've seen the flash of panice that streaked across his face. "You know, you should really think things through before you say something."

"...Can I change the subject?" the Uchiha barely less than whined.

"To what?"

"Why did it jump from the third principal to the fifth?"

Naruto stood erect and scrunched his face up to the ceiling. "Huh... I wonder why it is like that... Maybe... the fourth one left, and they called back Grandpa to fill for him again? I don't really know about that. You can ask Uncle Iruka I guess. Or, better yet, go ask Kakashi. He's been here longer, and you two seem to like each other."

"What makes you think that?" the brunette rivaled, raising his lip in disgust.

"Well, you've called him Kakashi since the day he told us his first name. He usually sends you to run the extremely long errands that take a good chunk out of what's left in that boring class. Did you know he gets lost in his lecturing?? Yup. Always loses his train of thought. Makes me fall asleep or just start daydreaming. Since I have my notebook again, I'll probably start to write because it looks like I'm taking notes. Anyway, he's the only teacher you don't bitch to when they say that they need to see you after class."

"Are you stalking me?" Sasuke questioned, raising an arm between the two of them.

"Very funny. No, I'm not. Uncle Iruka said so today: I'm observant. Can't say that I beliee him, but he's known me my whole life so..." He shrugged and continued what he was doing. This time using his finger, he tasted his concoction again. "Aha!" He pulled out a baking tin and placed the wrappers inside. Ever so carefully, he began to pour the stuff inside of each indent, tongue sticking out and upward all the while in concentraton. When at last he was done, he smiled and wiped his sleeve across his face, leaving a glob of batter perched on his nose.

"Naruto..."

"What?" Taking in the look of utter amusement on the pale teen's face he smiled again. "Yes, Sasuke, I know there's crap on my face. I like it there."

Choking down his giggles, he said, "What are you _making_ anyway?"

"Eh... I guess I'll cut it short," he said to himself as he looked at all the extra stuff he had in front of him. "Yeah." He used his arm and scooted everything over to one side. "I'm making cupcakes. There was going to be other stuff to go with them, but I don't really think you want to wait that long."

"You honestly think I'm eating your cooking?"

"You have been for years."

Sasuke frowned at him. "I didn't know I was though. You weren't exactly _serving_ the food for me to see you."

"Get over it already." He pulled out another stool from under a counter somewhere and sat across from Sasuke, still close enough to his oven incase he had to pull something out. "It's not like you're dying because of it."

"Hmp..." _Shows what you know. That's how I got that damned thing in the first fucking place-- eating someone else's food. It was the only time I'd ever done it too!!_

"Done what??"

"Shit!" His eyes got wide with sudden realization. "I said that out loud??" Naruto nodded and sent Sasuke into instant brood-mode. "Just ignore it then."

"Oh, yeah. I so have to ignore stuff, but you don't? Wonder how that works out..."

"Just drop it Dobe. It's not something you have to worry about. Move the subject somewhere else please."

"I don't want to."

"I said drop it."

"No." He crossed his arms in a pout and turned up his nose. "I refuse to humor you."

"If you don't..." He leaned forward across the space between them and wiped the stuff off of his nose. "you'll really be sorry later," he said as he licked the batter off with tiny strokes of his tongue.

"Hmp! Fine. And you wonder why I call you teme... Anyway, do your parents know I'm here?"

"No. I don't think I'm going to tell them either. They really don't care if there's someone here."

"Why do you make them out to be so heartless??" He really asked that question in pure interest. Who could diss their parents like that? Like they were nothing? Naruto loved his parents, and they don't do anything for him anymore!!

"Because they are..." Hyper-brood mood. "It's their fault I got sent there. It's their fault it happened. And it's their fault that I got sick like that. They let their first son get away with something like that, and they didn't even bother to ask if I was doing alright on the _weekly_ basis. I'm still taking that damned medication apparently since a shipment came in. Geez... I've been going against this for about three years now and they _still_ just dump company shit on me and don't even see if I'm fine with everthing that's going on." Ranting was a nice vent for him. Although, it often served him better when he was alone. He was so used to doing it when he went into his angsty condition that his mind forgot to filter the function.

"Sasuke, I really don't know what you're talking about so..." He turned and checked the oven to make sure he wasn't burning anything. "Unless of course you feel like explaining it... I mean, you look pretty pissed about whatever it is and--"

"No. I don't want another person pretending like it matters."

_He doesn't want a--? That's what I say!! Oh my god... That has to be something bad that's bothering him. I mean, mine is like whoa but... _"Sasuke, you know I don't pretend about anything. Well, besides the fact about what happens in the hallway. Believe it or not, I'm alright with giving advice and the such..."

"I don't care. I'm not telling you, so just stop asking."

"Okay... I'm sorry..." he muttered while his twidled his fingers around his apron srings.

"I thought I told you to stop apologizing??" His evil mood didn't help the chilling glare he sent te tiny boy.

"I-- but... Why do you sound so cold? The last few things you've said to me are just malice... I thought I did something wrong, so I apologized. I can't help it sometimes. I'm just so used to it now..."

"Then get unused to it here. Remember, you're going to be here for almost half of the week for a month starting Monday. I hate hearing your unusually high voice whinning out sorries..."

"My voice is not high pitched!!"

"It is for a guy your age. And you can't say it hasn't cracked yet because it sure as hell has. I was next to you that year for most of the day listening to you whine in anything _but_ monotone."

"Well, at least I dont strive to talk in monotone and riddles like some people I know."

"Namely..?"

"U-chi-ha and Ha-ta-ke."

Confuse. Bored. But somewhat interested. "What's with the tone of voice?"

_You're pushing it Uzumaki... **Don't you think I know that?! **_"Ha! I know why it is that you so willingly attack me the way you do."

_Oh Jesus... he's jumping to conclusions... _"And that would be what?" he asked, not really wating to hear the answer.

"He's screwing you like you're screwing me."

"...You know, there _are_ other people in this _big_ kitchen... And none of that was true..."

"Says you. I think it is." He stuck his tongue out at him and flapped it up and down. "It would make sense since you aren't giving me any other reason."

"That's what? The third time you've asked me to tell you that??"

He pulled his tongue back in quick. "Third ? I thought it was only twice?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Stop trying to go around it. Yes, I was asleep, but my brain still records things. I don't know why I just remembered it though... Oh my god... you called me 'pretty!' Why?!"

"I... did? Oh! I did, didn't I... Urm..." he took a peek at his cupcakes again and turned back after a few seconds. "I guess because I thought you looked pretty--"

"Boys don't look pretty Uzumaki..." Naruto just stared at him for a bit. "Okay, so you and Neji do, but I sure as hell don't!"

"Don't get upset about it. That's why the girls fawn over you like a new born... whatever looks fluffy and cute. You have percelian skin, Teme. When you're sleeping, you aren't making lines on your face, so it looks a bit... dollish I guess?? Yeah, you look like a pretty porcelian doll when you're sleeping."

"Oh, thanks so much."

"Don't roll your eyes at me! If I lied, you would've yelled at me or... something worse."

"Why do you keep saying I'm going to hit you or something? In case you haven't noticed, I'm tired and do not feel like filling out papers for your murder. I said so this morning."

"Ah... I don't know..."

"...Used to it?" he asked in serious monotone.

"I..." He just stare at him and kept his mouth shut. What was he going to say this time? Four quick escapes in one day without preperation is hard. He just kept askeing questions that he couldn't answer for him. Well, he knew the answers, but he _couldn't_. If he did, he might not ever want to go home again... A quick and rather loud ding brought him away from his thoughts finally. He jumped up off of the stool and rushed to the oven.

"What?" Sasuke asked, more pissed than ever since his question had been dropped again.

"I almost forgot about the cupcakes!" he said smiling as he pulled them out of the oven and set them on the stovetop. He reached over and grabbed the frosting and a spreading knife, not a spatula thing. They were weird, and he was used to using a butterknife.

Watching the boy spread them over with the sticky, sweet white, he frowned. _How does he keep doing that? Does he practice avoiding questions at home? He makes it sound like he doesn't favor his parents, but he keeps getting on my case about mine. He says he's used to saying sorry, and he was just going to let me have him if I wanted --no thank you now-- up stairs. Every time I bring up a certain aspect of his life, he keeps quiet like he's been traumatised forever. But then, something stops that conversation, and he's all chipper and fine again... And he's deep... I was not asleep upstairs. I couldn't go all the way with him in there at the same time. But, when he was talking to me, he sounded like a totally different person. And he said he writes... hell he almost killed me over that notebook, and I haven't seen what's in there yet. Geez... this just serves as another obsticle that I have to get around. He sighed out loud. Wonder how long it's going to take me to get through all this..._

As he silently watched the boy add the frosting to his cupcakes, while getting it all over his face, he was silent. Only offering to speak when something was addressed to him. When you look from the outside, Naruto seemed like the happiest little perosn you could ever meet. He really did look absolutely innocent and virgin. But, if you looked past all that, through the cheerful exterior, you'd see that he was hiding something. Trying his best not to worry anyone. You'd find out that he was deeply troubled, but he wasn't willing to show anyone just how perturbed he really is.

_So... he's just like me..._


	7. Shower Shinanigins and Discoveries

This is by far my longest and most favoured chapter. It makes me smile even more than chapter three. Look how close they're getting. Aww...

* * *

_Chapter: 7- Shower Shinanigans and Car Conversing_

"Nngggh..." Naruto moaned, twisting the covers all around him. "Get... off." His legs started thrashing about him in the bed. "I said stop!!" He was crying through his tightly closed eyes now, and he couldn't stop the tears. His mind was screaming at him that he was okay, but he refused to listen. "Leave them alone!! ... Wait... no!! Nnggha!!" To him, it seemed like an eternity was passing with out any progression. "Go... Go away... Ahh!!" Finally rolling off of the bed, he was awakened from his nightmare.

"Oh my god..." He pushed himself up onto the bed again. "It never hurt this much before..." He sat there, sweating and panting from the after-effects of the sudden dream events. Dreams aren't supposed to run like that!! He was jsut sitting with his parents, giving them flowers and such...And then--!

"Dobe! What the hell?!" Sasuke shouted as he pushed the door wide open; only to reveal a shaking Naruto clad just in boxer-breifs. They were green though... He shook his head to stop the rampaging hormones and walked over to sit down. "What the hell are you screaming for??"

He looked at him for a second before blinking all the vision-blurring tears from his eyes. **Comencing subject change... **"Why are you up this late?" He turned and looked at the clock. "It's almost two in the morning and--"

"I'm working. Now, tell me why the hell you were screaming??" He put a hand on the boy's shoulder and felt the cold sweat under his skin. He quirked a brow and moved his hand to his back. There was pretty much a lake of the stuff there. "Naruto... are you okay?" He wraped his arm around the tiny boy's waist and pulled him closer.

"I... Yeah. I'm alright now..." The whole time he had been looking at his thighs. Turning his gaze somewhere else, he looked at the Uchiha's feet. "Sasuke, are you still dressed?!" He heard him chuckle as he rubbed his hand up and down his side.

"Yup. I've been slacking off on work, especially today. I have a quota to keep up with: five products a week. So far, I've got two. They're all due tomorrow morning at eight."

"And... how are you staying awake exactly? You've been saying that you're tired all day." The sweat was starting to dry on his skin and itch, but he was doing his best to ignore it.

"Cupcakes idiot." He laid his head to rest on the other, slightly damp one. "That frosting crap is wonderful. Did you know that it's pretty much just sugar in there?"

"Yeah... I did... How long have you been working anyway?"

"Uhm..." He raised his head and put a hand to his chin, tapping it a few times. "I don't know. I started maybe... an hour after I made you go to sleep."

"Why an hour?"

"Because, I fell asleep after that. I was just laying on the bed you know."

"Sasuke-teme!!" _What? Wasn't he just trembling and--?_ "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Naruto stood up and shocked Sasuke with his speed.

"Huh?" he sounded, blinking as he tried to catch up to what was going. Did he miss something?

"Why would you do that?! That's why you're always tired you dumbass!! You need to sleep. Let's go." To shock the brunette heir even further, he grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him up. _Uhm... what?! When did he get strong like this exactly??_ Naruto succeeded in pulling him across the hall and dumped him onto his bed.

"Did I... miss something there?"

"Get undressed."

Blink, blink. "What?" Staaaaaaare...

"You're going to bed now." Oh, wow... His tone was so assertive now. Maybe it was just because Sasuke was tired.

"But, I just told you. My quota--"

"I said undress dammit!!"

"Sheesh..." Sasuke stated and he started to peel his shirt off, a look of sheer disbelief on his face. _Since when was he a magpie?_ Once his shirt was over his head, he moved his hands to his pants and stilled. "You know... I don't feel so comfortable with you standing there watching me." The blonde huffed and turned around.

"Hurry up then."

"Alright, alright." He stood up and undid his pants. Sliding them down, there was a slight hiss as the fabric rubbed against the silk of his boxers. He stepped out of the pants and tossed them into a dirty clothes chute along with the shirt and jacket that was sitting on the floor. "I'm done. Happy now?"

Naruto turned around, scowl still firmly in place. It melted after a few seconds though, and he stared. Yes, those extra misplaced hormones were flaring up. Since he had the female structure and chromosomes, he did appreciate a firm, muscular body. Maybe he didn't think it was sexy, but he thought at least it looked good. And he always knew, as long as he was still pretty, he could get protection from these people if he wanted. Yup, he could seduce people; any kind of people at that. Another plus to being so excessively feminine.

"...What?" Sasuke asked, dragging him out of his thoughts. "Hello??"

"Huh? Oh... ah.. nothing. Like I said, go to sleep."

"But... I'm not tired. I still have like... five or ten minutes before my sugar crash," he whined as he tried to sit still on the bed. "It takes a while to just get one product done. That's why I want to do it all now while I have the energy."

Naruto followed his bouncing with his eyes. "No. Go to sleep. Or... try not to bother me at least."

"Bother you? What do you mean?"

"Which departmets have you done so far?" he demanded, totally ignoring the question.

"Uhh... I've got a commercial done, and... I designed a new toy... I think."

Naruto went and sat down at the computer again. On the screen were two programs: one of the many Macromedia Flash Players, and an art program. And... how many types of painting programs where there?? Exactly so... whatever. Well, the toy was totally finished, so he saved that and closed it, but he kept the program up. And in the flash, the commercial was on freeze, pause-- whatever-- so he watched it. Alright, the commercial promoted the new toy, along with the business branch sublimitaly. That's great. He saved the commercial and closed that too.

"Alright, take your ass to sleep. If you can't, just leave me alone, alright? Ja!" He turned around in the chair and set to work on the tablet, which was very easy to use.

"Hnnn... Naruto..."

"Didn't I say not to bother me? And you sound drowsy. Stop fighting it and sleep damn you!!"

Sasuke chuckled to himself. "I don't give up like that. Besides, I said five to ten minutes; I'm striving for two," he added as his eyelids slid shut.

Naruto rolled his eyes at him. "What do you want, Uchiha?"

He squinted under the dark that covered his vision. "Don't get so down. I'm only making conversation."

"Well, I don't want it right now."

"Hey, why are you even in here? Shouldn't _you_ be sleeping?"

"I don't want to go back to sleep thanks." He really didn't. One nightmare was enough for the night. Besides, even if he did_ try _to go back to sleep, he wouldn't be able to; he never could after one of those. "But,_ you_ have no excuse not to now. So sleep."

"But... Naruto..." he whined.

He threw his hands up in the air with irritation. "What?!"

"You're cute when you get upset... I wish I could open my damn eyes..."

He stopped and turned around. "I'm sorry, what?" To his disappointment, he was sleeping again though. For real this time, he could tell. Well, he thought so anyway. "Great. Deja vu. You know, I really..." He stopped for a second to think about that. Grinning, he turned back around in his chair. "...No, I don't hate you."

And Sasuke smiled one last time before he went totally and completely to sleep for the night.

((NEXT MORNING))

Sasuke sat up in his bed and blinked the sleep from his eyes. Looking around, he let his mind catch up to him before he decided on taking to standing. Without pushing the covers off of him,-- some sense that makes huh?-- he tried to swing his legs over to the edge of the bed. **Squish**. Wait... What?! He ripped the covers from off of his body... and stared. _So... when did this happen??_

Wanna take a guess as to what it was? --Wrong. No, it wasn't Naruto you perv!! And no, the bed wasn't wet!!-- Not only were there two kittens curled about his ankles, but he just layed his foot in... cat poop.

"Oh Jesus... Gross..." He reached over to his bedside table and pulled a tissue from the box. Making a sour face, he wiped it off of his heel and tossed the stuff in the trashcan next to the bed. "When did I get cats again??" he squinted at the wall in concentration. "Oh yeah. I got them yesterday with Naruto. Alright, why is there shit in my bed??" He practically burned a hole in the wall again. "Right... I forgot to put litter in the boxes. Well... They're gonna have to deal with paper instead... I'll get some from the shredder... Right after I get up." He layed back down, careful not to touch the spot on the end of the bed where the... feces was left. "Aw damn... I didn't finish my portfolio... Shit!! I didn't finish my portfolio!!" he repeated, shouting rather loudly this time. His eyes shot open to get a look at the clock. "FUCK!! It's _nine_?!" He ripped the covers off again, this time yanking himself from his laying position. Using all his energy to stand up--!! He was pulled back down again.

New character!! His name is CS, ((Chibi-Sasuke)) and he just stared into nothing, trying to grasp the concept of what had just happened. _Let's see... sudden warmth around my waist, itchy on my side... Ahh!! Someone's in my bed!! _"Who the _hell_ is that?!"

"Me baka. Stop yelling. Besides, I turned your crap in this morning at seven thirty, your not welcome."

_Naruto?_ He stilled finally. "Why are you in my bed?"

He just snuggled closer. He was going to kill himself when his brain caught up to him this morning. "I was scared last night. I didn't want to go back."

"You were scared?" First shock. "Why would being here be any better?"

"You make me feel safe." Second shock.

CS and Sasuke: Staaaaaaaare at the ceiling... "I make _who_ feel _what_?"

"I know you heard me asshole."

"Alright..." Still in doubt. "How is that so? Don't I... kick your ass and like... molest you?"

"Not really. I've always wanted you to."

Shock thr-- WHAT?! "You always wanted me to... kick your ass _right_? I mean, that's what you've always said, _right_? You never wanted me... _touching_ you... _right_??"

CN and choo-choo brain: back on line!!

_Holy shit..._ "Oh God!! Hell no!!" He shoved him out of reach and rolled over off of the bed. "Ahh!" He pulled his arms back over and stared at the other boy, panic and disbelief clear all over his face. "Why would you think that?!"

"Ah... I didn't. That's why I kept asking if you were _sure_... Don't take this the wrong way, but do you fall off of the bed at home a lot too? Just interest, that's all."

Scowl. "Nuuuuu... I get _pushed_ off the bed at home."

"... By who??"

"Mp!" Oops. Didn't mean to say that... "Nuuuuuu-one..." he said as he slowly got back onto the bed but stayed sitting.

Frown. "I'm not that much of an idiot you know. So, either somebody is pushing you, or your dreams are shoving you off of it."

"Alright fine. Yes, I fall out of the bed a lot, and sometimes Uncle Iruka comes over and shoves me out of bed. Okay? Leave it there."

"Aww... I'm sorry..." He rolled over and wrapped his arms about the other boy, not even bothering to warn the kittens before shaking them off. "Can I make it better?" he asked as he pulled him back down to the sheets.

"Yeah, you can get off of me."

Sasuke frowned. "But, I don't wanna."

"Come on now. I woudn't ravish you if you didn't want me to."

"I'm not going to. And besides, that would never happen."

"You're right," he sighed. "I'd never want to touch you like that."

"Liar." He smiled into the mass of yellow thickness when he felt the short intake of breath against his chest. "I meant the part about me _not_ wanting you to."

"...Why would you say that, Uchiha?" he mumbled out against his body. He was really trying not to move... at all. But... Naruto can't sit still that long unless he's depressed. And... he presently was not.

"Say... that you know you want to touuuuuuch me?"

"Stop it."

"I'm sorry, but I really can't hear you too well."

"Yes you can Teme. Cut it out."

"Why are you being so mean now? I thought you were starting to like me again?"

"...What would make you think that??"

"Well... you got up and finished my project for me last night, you made me cupcakes, and ah... oh yeah, you _slept _in my bed. With me still in it."

"Feh... I thought you wouldn't mind too much after doing your project and making you cupcakes."

"You don't have to smile about it."

"What makes you think I'm smiling?" Hey, he was right, he just wanted to know how.

"You're practically pressed into me. How could I_ not _tell you were smiling?"

"... I am not that close..."

"Ok, fine." He pulled him as close as he could-- plum flush against his chest and abs and everything else. "Now, since I'm taller, you are pressed, and I can feel every movement you make."

"..."Silence had cursed him.

"What? No 'I hate you?'" He just groaned. "Why not?"

"... Because I don't."

"Aw... So you meant it last night?"

"Sasuke... Do you_ ever_ sleep?"

"Of course. You just always think I am when I'm not."

"You're too good a faker."

"I don't fake, you're just to good an idiot."

"Oh, yeah, thanks so much."

"You're welcome."

Anoter groan. This time he shifted with it though. "You know, I have to work today. Eight hour shift. Starting at ten. I don't get off till eleven- thirty tonight. Think I can get dressed please?"

"But why?" He ran a hand down his tanned back. "I like you like this. So would the people at the hospital... And your math sucks."

"One, I don't care. Two, no they wouldn't. Three, it does not. I have to work at Ichiraku from six- thirty to eleven afterward."

"Alright. Don't get all pissy on me." He wiggled a bit and loosened his grip a tad on the boy. "Naruto, what did you turn in this morning? And... how did you do it exactly?"

"Ugh..." He went lax in his arms. He wasn't going anywhere until all his questions were answered... well, most of them anyway. "I used my E-mail to turn it in because I didn't know your password."

He laughed out loud; not on purpose, but he did. _Oh God... you're so lucky you don't._

"Ignoring your hyena chuckle... I still went in your address book and got their stuff out. Everything I did is still up on the computer because I was too lazy to put it down. _Now_, can I shower?"  
"Who are you talking about when you say 'their?'"

Naruto rolled his eyes. _God... I'm going to be so late... _"Your parents. Now let me go get ready!!" He squirmed a little, but he stopped after only a few seconds. What point was there in struggling? He saw his body -- more like stared at it-- and he wasn't anywhere near that strong. "Please, Sasuke? I really have to get going..."

"Alright, one more question?"

"Teme!! I'm serious!!" Yeah, seriously whining...

"Come on... It's the last one, promise."

He started making pouty baby noises. "Sasuke!! I really mean it this time!! I have to get ready!!"

"Just answer the question?"

"What?!"

"It's totally irrelevant but--"

"What is it?!"

"How'd you get so strong last night? This morning too when you pulled me down."

"What are you talking about?"

"There's no way in hell that you could ever gain muscle like that over night."

"I don't know... maybe you were just too tired. I don't want to think on it in bed right now. Let me get in the shower please?"

"Fine. Gotta give me something first though..."

Instant frown. "Not gonna happen," he stated with clear disgust. "Just let me in the shower damn you."

"No," he grumbled as he pulled him close again. "I want a kiss first. Then you can go."

"I'm not kissing you dammit!! You already ravish me in the hallways on a whim. That should be enough already."

"But it's noooooooooot... I just want one from you." He stuck out his lip in a pout and pushed his forehead to the small, slightly warmer one. "Please?"

"Why? Why can't you just kiss me like usual? That way, I don't have to put a strain on myself."

"I won't ask again."

"I said no."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to!! As unbelievable as it may seem, I'm one of the few people that don't fawn over your _beauty_, Uchiha."

"Please?" Sasuke asked again, taking a hand to cup his scarred cheek. "It's the last time I'll ever ask you to."

"Sasuke... I've already wasted ten minutes sitting here explaining things to you."

"Then stop arguing and just do it."

"I'm not going to!!"

"Then you're not moving."

"Come on Teme... that's not fair."

"I think it is."

"Why do you insist on abusing me like this?" he whined again, burying his face into the broad chest. "I just want to go to work so I can make a little bit of money. You can't just let me?"

"Don't play the guilt card... And you aren't helping yourself by sobbing into me you know..."

"I can tell..."

"How?"

He jabbed his thigh in between his legs. "That's how. You're holding me preeeeeeetty close you know."

Sasuke smiled again. "Well... ok, I can't play that off. You caught me hard with you in my bed."

"You're really not letting me go are you?" He shook his head, causing the raven locks to scratch against his nose. "Well, that would then araise a question..."

"Which would be..?"

"Why?" There was a puase, so he took it as a silence from confusion. "You won't let me go unless I kiss you, I''m in your bed, you've got an erection that's... pretty close, and we're practically naked... Why is all that?" He smiled when he felt him shift uncomfortably against him.

"Ah... Well... You know, I wouldn't be raping you if I didn't find you attractive in some way..." He looked anywhere but at the boy next to him, even if they couldn't make eye contact.

"So you think I'm sexy?" That was blunt.

"Ah..."

"So you're bi??" Even more blunt.

"Not really... I'm not confused about what I like--"

"You're gay?!" Not so blunt that time. Somewhat... scratchy and high pitched-- even for him.

CS and Sasuke: _Stay quiet. Don't talk. You can just ignore him. Pretend you didn't hear..._

CN and Naruto: _Oh my god... OH MY GOD!! Is he serious?! Flail. FLAIL!! I can't believe it!! He's really into me like that!! Crap!! He's gonna kill me now!! Ooooooo... I shoulda kept my mouth shut... _He bit his already sore lip and winced at the pain. He sat there just like that for about two minutes. _He... isn't doing anything??_ He turned his head up and stared at the boy that was striving to avoid visual contact.

"Sasuke--?"

"Get up."

"Huh?"

"Get up and go to work." Monotone-- a vocal favorite of his. You didn't have to wiggle your throat into different ranges.

"Huh?" Yup. Great thinker, is he not?

Sasuke let go of him and rolled onto his back. "Get ready so I can take you please." Demand, demand...

Naruto got up and leaned over him. "But I thought--?"

"Just go please?" Sasuke grumbled, placing his hand over his face and closing his eyes.

"Hey."

"What..?"

Naruto picked his hand up and looked at him. Yup, embarrassed. Beat red. Totally lobster-shot. He still had his eyes closed though... "It's ok. I know a lot of people like that."

"That's great. I really didn't _need _you knowing though..."

"Why not? Now that I know, I won't just punch you for saying something to someone... I just thought you were mocking some of my friends when you were 'hitting on them.' It isn't that bad..."

"Says you... I'm the only heir to a huge corperation that has a branch in every department known to man. I can't be a... homo..."

"Why?" he asked, cocking his head to the side in interest.

"How would that look? Every time I went to talk to some little kid for promotion or some crap like that, they'd think I'm the next Micheal Jackson or something."

"Not really." His blush was going down a bit now. Maybe he was just running out of blood to transfer to his face... "If you were subtle about it. Or, if you had a boyfriend, they wouldn't think on it so much."

"That sounds so weird when you say it..."

"Why?"

He waited for a second, debating with CS on whether or not to ask. _Aw... to Hell with it... _"Can I tell you something? Like... without it getting all over the school?? I mean, you do have a million friends."

"I won't tell anyone. Really. I have no reason to."

"Yeah you do." Eyes still closed. "I've been... hurting you since the eigth grade. You have all the reason in the world."

"You still don't trust me? You thought I was going to poison your food, and you still ate it. I just finished your portfolio project. I fixed your sorry ass up at the hospital. I'm one of your partners for a month long assignment. If you don't trust me now, you're going to learn to."

"Point. Got it. Alright..." Eyes still closed... CS was getting a little scared of the dark... "I've... had a boyfriend before."

Shock. "Really?"

"Yes..."

"Who?!"

"... Hyuuga."

"Neji?! Oh my god are you serious?! No wonder I didn't know!!"

_I'm sorry... what??_

"You can't pair up two super angsty people. They aren't active. Then I don't realize it, and I get all pissy afterward..."

Huh? Quirk the brow... with the eyes closed. "You don't care?"

"No. Why would I?"

"Why _wouldn't _you?"

"Because... I don't care?? He gets on my nerves sometimes. I mean, I guess he's a bit of a friend, but if I get a bad grade, he's always all 'Oh, it's inevitable. You were never that smart to begin with; it's not going to change' That shit bothers me."

The brunette chuckled. "Yeah, he does say that a lot."

"See? And... No it doesn't bother me. I still don't see why it would."

"Oh..."

Alright. So, the conversation was going downhill, and nothing else was being said. "Hey. I'm going to go get ready. I have to work soon. So, I'm getting in the shower... okay?"

He sighed. "Yeah. Hurry up or you're going to be late okay?"

Smile. "'Kay... Hey, 'Suke?"

"Hn?"

"There's nothing wrong with you." _Ohmygodohmygodohmygod... What are you doing?! **Shut up... **_Totally ignoring all sense that was trying to pour its way into his mind, he bent over and kissed the top of his forehead. He lingered for a few seconds, letting the other boy's mind catch up to what was happening. When he was sure he did, he let go and moved down to his lips, careful to keep his mouth as tightly shut as he could without it feeling hard. After two seconds of contact there, he got up. "Don't let that get to your head, Teme." He stood up smiling and made his way off of the bed. "Where's your bathroom?"

Sasuke just raised a hand and pointed to one of three extra doors in the room.

"Where're your underwear?" Another direction with a point of the finger. "I'm taking a pair..." He opened the top drawer of the only visable dresser. "...You don't have any cotton??"

"No..." He can form syllables now!! "Uh... Yes. Closet." Oh my god!! Two?!

"Awesome. I'm borrowing a pair of those, using your shower, and putting my uniform back on. I'll be done in ten minutes."

"Yup." When he heard the door shut he jumped out of the bed. Wait for it... WATER!! "Oh my god I hate you!! I fucking hate you!! Why would you do that to me?! You insensitive bastard!! I hate your fucking guts!!"

And the door opened. "I didn't get in yet..."

CS: Staaaaaaaaaaare... What?

"Sorry..."

"Uh-huh..." He shut the door again.

This time he waited a few seconds. "I still hate you!! You can't do things like that!! You gave me a heart attack!! I hope you die!! Maybe you'll drown in the shower!!"

Door opened again. "Will you stop?! I can hear you still!!"

CS: Staaaaaaaaaaare... Huh?

"How can you hear me?! You're wet!!"

"Your shower isn't that loud really."

"Oh... Hold on... NO!! I have sound proof doors!! That's why no one came up here at all yesterday!! You have the door open, and you're listening!" The wet blonde went rigid. "HA! Knew it!!"

"Okay fine. I wanted to see what you were going to say." He stuck his tongue out and waved it at him. "Can you balme me?"

Cold stare. "Yes..."

"Aww... How can you say that??" He opened the door all the way and put a finger to his lips. "I'm too cute to be blamed for anything... right?"

"... Oh my god... I _hate_ you."

Pout, pout. Lip, lip. "You know you don't mean that..."

"Yes I do. You can't _do _stuff like that!! Standing in the middle of the-- and you're wet and... in a towel!!"

"Sooooooo??" He started twisting his hips, making the towel loosen a bit and slide down to his hips.

"Pull it up."

"Why?"

"I don't want to see it..."

"Yes you do." He kept twirling, the towel getting cloer and closer to the V of his waist.

"Ok, that doesn't mean I _have _to." Scowl. Scowl!! _Burn damn you!! Burn!! Ugh... why doesn't it work?!_

"So admit it and I'll go get ready."

"Admit what?! Tell me so you can hurry up and get in the bathroom." You know, you'd think he was frantic while all this was going on. He really wasn't. After he told him to pull it up, he had gone totally stone. He was just a flatline voice, unmoving thing.

"You think I'm seeeexyyyy," he chanted over and over as he pressed himself against the frame of the door.

Twitch. Twitch! TWITCH!! You'd think he was having a seizure the way he was blinking like that. "I am not saying that."

"Why? No one can hear you. And, I'm not telling anyone. They wouldn't believe me. I would **never **do something like... _this_." And he pulled a stripper move. Really. You know, the one where they put one hand all the way up the wall run the other one alllllll the way down their middle?? Yeah, that was it.

"Do you_ practice _this stuff from your little porn books?"

"Can you tell?"

"Don't play like that."

"Come on... just say it??"

"Why?!"

"It'll make me feel better about myself to see the most awesome boy in school to submit to me. That would feel so _awesome _since I'm so small. Please? I gave you an _awesome _kiss..."

"I'm not saying that..."

"Hey Teeeeemeeeee..." No answer. "Come on... you at least have to look."

"I'm afraid to."

"Why? Don't wanna ruin your silk shorts?"

"GET IN THE SHOWER!!" he shouted, pointing a finger in the direction of the running water.

"Don't yell... I'll go..." He stepped back into the bathroom and pushed the door. He stepped into the shower, removing his towel at the same time. "Oh yeah!!" he shouted back to him. "I can't shut the door!! In all seriousness. That's why I could hear you. I was trying to close it."

"Are you really that pitiful??"

"Sadly, yes. I have such a frail frame."

"You know, this isn't cute."

"I'm not trying anymore. I've had my fun for the _week_."

"So if I come shut the door... you're not going to try anything are you?"

His sigh was muffled by the droplets of water splashing their way into his mouth. "No, Teme," he sputtered out coughing. "I just don't want you anymore tempted than you already are."

"Not funny." He walked over to the door on shaky legs and pulled it shut with... a bit too much force. "Sorry!!" he shouted through the door. Grumbling could be heard from the other side, but that's it; you can't hear much through sound-proof doors unless you're listening at a crack or something. He went over to his computer after that and stared at the screen. Not for too long, just long enough to make it look like he was a mannequin. Finally getting his mind back on track, he moved the mouse and got rid of the screen saver. _Let's see what that loser did..._

He brought up all of the programs with the ones that were already present. _A set of plushies, a new jacket, a game design complete with concept and characters... He did all that in one night? Wonder how long it took him? He doesn't seem tired at all... although his brain does seem a little fried... _He frowned and dwelled on the thought for a while before he was ripped back into reality. Hearing his 'friend' scream in what he was sure was agony followed by a very loud thump in the bathroom had him out of his chair and at the door in a heartbeat.

"Naruto?!" he wailed through the metal as loudly as he could get through the cracks, slamming himself against it the process. "Are you okay?!"

Said blonde groaned as the warm water beat against his skin while he sat on the floor of the shower. "I... I'm f-fine," he stammered out. _To Hell you are!! Didn't you feel that?! **Of course I did!! I just collapsed!! **You need to call the boss, you can't go in today!! **But... I have to. If I don't work... I don't get money... **Yes you do--_

"Not like that!!" He rushed his hand to his mouth after that one. "Oh what's the point... I know he heard me." He reached over and turned off the faucets. Withdrawing again, he wrapped his arms around himself and huddled in the corner of the porcelain fixture. He rubbed up and down his arms in an attempt to rid himself of the goose bumps that appeared when the pain hit._ That was worse than last night. _"I know." _At the rate this is going-- _"I know." _Both of them won't let you work. _"I know." _Neither will he. _He sighed before saying it again this time. "You know what? This isn't helping me. I need to stop talking to myself like this. It's going to get put in a nut house somewhere in Arizona." He sighed once more before he stood up to dry himself off. On shaky legs, he made his way to where he had left his clothes. "Jesus shit... I'm still off from that one..." _Get the towel and put it on. Just sit._ So he did. Who was he to argue with himself?

_Fuck it. _Apply some interior design here, a little martial arts there, and BAM!! You've got yourself a kicked in door. Reinforced steel and he still got it open. Something like that makes you just want to hug him, you're so proud.

"Naruto!! Didn't I tell you that these things are sound-proof?! You have to open them to talk to me!!"

"Please don't shout," he practically begged, placing his head in his hand and propping it up on his elbow and knee. "I... really have a headache."

"Hey." Sasuke walked over and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Did you hit something?"

"I... I don't know. I don't think so. But then again... I never really felt intense contact before. You'd have to check for me," he added with a meek smile.

"Dobe... are you alright? What happened?"

"I slipped." That came out pretty quick.

"Are you sure that's what happened?"

"Yes Sasuke. I'm pretty sure _that's _what happened."

"Alright. Well, just tell me which way you fell."

"I was in that corner of the shower." He lifted a hand and pointed for him.

"Alright." He stood, looked into the shower, and took in the area. "You're fine."

"How can you tell?"

And there goes the triumphant smirk. "Now why else would Neji be interested in me _other _than my looks? Oh, I'm checking you over anyway though."

"Hmp. I guess you're right." He shook his head a little and pulled himself to sit straight for examination. "Hey, you two aren't... you know, like you and me?" Sasuke came over and kneeled beside him, poking and prodding at his side.

"Nope. He's all about Kank' now. Well... he will be after the trip anyway. Unless they break up before that."

"You think they will?"

"Most likely. He's into someone else too."

"Did he tell you so?"

He pinched a bit of extra fat on the boy's belly just to tease him a bit. Although, it only erupted a giggle from his throat. "No, he didn't tell me. But I've known him long enough to decide on that though."

"How?"

"He isn't the kind of person that asks questions. After you left in a huff yesterday, he was asking about you. More so me and you. He did a pretty good job at hiding it though, throwing in that help bit." He laughed for a second remembering those few minutes. "I thought he was even going to flip his hair when I turned him down twice."

"I don't get it. Who does he like again?"

"You, Dobe."

Okay, he _wanted _to jump up in shock, he just _couldn't_. One, he only had on a towel. And two, he didn't want to risk hurting himself again. "Me? You aren't serious?"

"You'd be surprised." _You think I'm not already? _"There are quite a few people that like you. It's just... nobody knows your orientation. No one wants to look like an idiot and come out of the closet to someone at the same time."

"Are you gonna tell me who they are?"

"Don't you have to go to work?"

_You can't!! _"That's right!! I have to get dressed!!" No movement.

"Shouldn't you get up then?"

"I am!!" Still no movement.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes dammit!! I'll go get dressed now, okay?" He stood up and took his first step, trying his best to ignore the pain that shot up through his leg and froze him for half a second. Disregarding it, he made himself take off at his normal pace, sending himself into blind dizziness. He shook his head as he walked out the door and disappeared around the corner. Flopping on the bed, he remembered his clothes. "Temeeeeeee," he groaned.

"Ahn?" he asked, popping his head out the door.

"Bring me my shit?"

"Yeah," he replied frowning. Grabbing them off of their perch, he spun back around and tossed them to him. "Are you gonna be alright to work?"

"I'm fine."

"Alright," he said, pulling his hands up in front of him. "I'll stop asking." He turned around and sat in his computer chair. "See?"

"Good." He picked up the boxers that he was going to borrow and slipped them around his ankles. He stood up for a few seconds to pull them up under the towel. Once they were secure, he dropped it and lay on his back. Check the clock: nine-thirty. "Teme."

"Is that a statement?"

"No."

"What do you want then?"

"I feel like such a retard for saying this, but I don't think I can do it."

He turned around. "Do what?"

"I... I can't get dressed. I'm not lying either. Until this wears off, I'm totally dead."

"Why are telling me this exactly?"

Naruto turned his head the little bit that he could to look at him through the cast-iron bars of the canopy bed. "You won't help me?"

You know, Sasuke just might go blind from all this staring. If not that, he would go mentally retarded since CS was just slamming his head against a non-existent wall. "No."

"Why?"

"You're just trying to bother me."

"No!! I'm really not! I'm serious!! It's never hurt this bad."

"Uzumaki, I'm not dressing you. You aren't my Barbie."

"I knooooooooow... I need you to though. I'm really serious here. I want to go to work, I just need help getting dressed."

"And what about when you get there? What are you gonna do then?"

"Work... Hey, did you ever realize that you use a lot of slang and contractions with me?"

"Yes. What would your point be?"

"Are you going to help me??"

"No."

"Whyyyyyy? I thought you were worried about me?"

"I am, but I just remembered that stunt you pulled a little while ago."

"Come on... I'm not going to do anything. I promise."

"Not what I'm worried about." And there went the silence. Everything got quiet in the room.

"You're really... attracted aren't you?"

"Yup. I don't have any shame in admitting it either. What's the point in hiding now?"

"Oh..." _Alright Uzumaki... don't jump to any conclusions. What am I saying? There's nowhere to jump. He likes you. A lot. More than a lot based on how he's been acting. Question is... What are you gonna do?? **Turn him down easy and leave the premises**_. "So are you going to help me or not?"_ WHAT?! That's not what we decided on!!_

"Are you still serious?"

"Yes dammit!!" Yeah, he was starting to get mad. "I've never had an attack like this before!! I don't want to hurt myself any _more_ than I already am. Just help me!!"

"Look. I'm not doing it because--"

"I don't care!! You're wasting my time like this!! Just help me!! Or are you too much of an asshole to do that??"

Sasuke sighed, moving from his seat to stand upright. "Are you _sure_?"

"Yes!! Help me. I don't care if you come or get close to it!! Just swear you won't touch me and we're good to go."

"But..." He sat on the bed, taking up Naruto's habit of biting his lip. "I kind of can't do that. I already told you about this right?"

"Well..." He averted his gaze for a few seconds before locking his eyes back on the obsidian pair above him. "Promise you'll stop if I ask you to?"

He smiled and brushed a few stray hairs of sunshine from his forehead. "Of course." He bent down and kissed the spot that he had just cleared. "But, you're going to tell me to stop as soon as I start, aren't you?"

He shook his head. "Probably not. It'll take my body a while to grasp the concept before I flip out. Even if I do, I won't hit you. So you're fine either way."

"Okay..." He bent over and picked up his undershirt. "Can you sit up for a while?"

Naruto shook his head and looked away in shame. "No." This was terrible. Not only did he need help dressing, but he was totally vulnerable. He couldn't move worth a shit, and he was small. That was never good.

"Alright. Do _not _freak. I'm picking you up." Waiting a few seconds after the nod, he took hold of him under his arms and scooted him further up the bed. He swallowed hard before he mounted his hips in a straddle. "Come here." He pulled him up and laid his head against his stomach. He folded the shirt over his hands so that his head could be pushed through. Once that was done, the arms were easy. He pulled them through and laid him back down. "You okay?"

He smirked the little that he could. "Are you? Remember, you're sitting on me. Maybe you should get up before that gets out of your range."

"Yeah." Blushing, he removed himself and grabbed the pants. Standing in front of him, he didn't know what to do next. "Dobe... How am I supposed to...?"

"Are you for real?"

"Yes. I'm only used to dressing myself thanks."

"Alright, how do you do that?"

"Uh... I put one leg in... then the other one..."

"Then what??"

"Spread 'em then pull my pants up."

"Then do that now. Quickly too please."

"O-okay." By some miracle, he got them up to his waist without jumping him. Now, he was stuck between his legs with his pants bunched up and undone.

"Are you going to zip them?"

"I will... I just... Ugh." Ultimate deflation. He wanted to fix his pants, REALLY wanted to. But, he also wanted to... He groaned and collapsed over the tiny boy.

"Come on Uchiha."

"Naruto... I can't do it," he mumbled into his neck. "You're just too... Ever since sixth grade... Damn... I so can't stand you sometimes." All the while he spoke his lips were brushing against the soft, tanned flesh. "How can one person do this to me?" He pressed his lips onto the vein at the base of his jaw.

"I don't know."

"Naruto... I hope you come to your senses soon. I can't stop myself after I start this." He opened his mouth and licked the area that was available to him. Clamping back on, he sucked, hard.

"Ah..." Naruto winced a bit, but it didn't hurt too much. He was still hot from his pain, so it almost felt good. "Sas... Hnnnngh..."

Almost said boy moaned and put a hand in his golden hair. "You know, I don't really hate you," he said between breaths. "I just hate the fact that you could run me if anything ever happened." Satisfied with the mark that he left, he slowly kissed his way up his neck and to his lips again. "Can I ask you something though?"

Trance. Yeah, that's what he looked like. He was in a trance just staring at him with cloudy eyes. "What?" he croaked out.

"Why don't you ever let me in??" He bent down and kissed his lips easy. He traced the ring of tender, pink flesh with his tongue. "It's not like I'm going to bite you or anything. Really." He smooshed their lips together again, this time a bit more force was involved.

"... I can't. I promised myself that I never would until I went to the doctor's." _Hurry up and catch yourself you idiot!! You're spilling out everything!!_

"What are you talking about?" He licked his cheek. "You work at the doctor's don't you?"

"Yeah but it's--" And he was back. "Sasuke, stop. Please get off?"

He groaned and lifted his gaze back to his eyes. "You got lucky that time."

"Says you. I've no doubt got a hickey now. And I, once again, have to ask Hinata if I can borrow some cover-up."

"She doesn't ask you what you always need it for?"

"No. She doesn't have to. She knows, just not who they're from."

"Really? She never struck me as one of those people who notice things."

"Well she does. And she's getting sick of me showing up with a purple neck thanks. This is the last time I'm going to ask her ever. I could lose my job over that. So don't keep doing this. Alright?"

"But whyyyyyyy? Why can't you just buy your own cover-up?"

"No money."

"I'll buy it for you."

"Not accepting it then."

"Why?"

"I shouldn't have to."

"Fine. But answer my question. Then I'll get off."

"Nope. That's confidential. If ever I feel you should know, then I'll tell you. For know, you'll just have to live with your ignorance."

"Come on... why?"

"Because I said so dammit!! Now get off!!" Somewhere deep down inside him, he found enough strength to push the dark haired enigma off of him. He stood up and buttoned his pants. "Alright. I apparently can finish myself thanks. Not that I'm ungrateful you helped me, but I think I'll be fine." He bent over to grab his jacket and flung it over his shoulder. "_I _am ordering food. Are you coming?" Sasuke shook his head from his spot on the floor. "Are _you_ driving me?"

"Yes."

"Can I eat in your car?"

"If you want."

"Great. I've got maybe fifteen minutes until I'm late, can you drive fast?" He nodded. "Awesome. I'm getting food. Throw on some pants and come on."

"'Kay..."

Naruto turned around to leave and started his strides to the door. When he reached it, he looked over his shoulder at the older boy. "Are you alright?"

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

"Alright," he agreed, just a bit uneasy. He went through the door and was out of sight when he turned.

"Wow." _How many times is he going to just toss me around like that? It doesn't help that the action throws me into a state of mental shock either. Damn... And I still don't know where it's from._ He eased himself back to his feet. "Well, thinking about it isn't going to help me. I'm not psychic like Hyuuga." In about two minutes, he had grabbed an outfit and was out the door, making sure to grab some paper from the shredder and placing the young cats into it to get used to it. When he made his way downstairs, he caught sight of Naruto leaving the kitchen. He had his jacket on, finally, but his arms were pretty full too. He had his book bag slung over his shoulder, and a plate of pancakes with a fork in his other hand. One was dangling from his mouth.

"Shanks Ben!!" he managed to mouth around it. Looking up by chance, he caught the lanky frame on the staircase. "Shashke!! Bring your ash!! I 'on't know where your car ish!!"

"Garage." He made the rest of his way down the stair, twirling his key-ring around his finger all the while. "Come on," he ordered, motioning for him to follow with his hand. They walked through the maze-like mansion, at last coming to a door that lead to what Naruto assumed to be a whole other building. So wrong.

"...Seventeen...Eighteen... Ninteen..." He whispered to himself as his eyes followed the many, many rows. "You have twenty... eight?! You have twenty-eight cars?!"

Sasuke shook his head, chuckling at his naivety. "No Dobe." He started walking down one aisle, the blonde close at his heels. "_I_ only have six. They've been giving me one every year for my birthday ever since I was ten. It's sad really. I only drive one."

"Which would be..?"

"...What happened to all the pancakes?"

"I ate them."

"... Right..."

"What car is it Teme?"

"My black, Lexus ES 300. Got that one when I hit thirteen."

"Are you serious?!" Naruto asked, eyes wide with surprise. "And you say they don't care??"

"Yup. They just get them because they can. I take it as a message: Get the hell out the house."

"Aww... come on now."

"Why? I'm not upset about it. I pity them." He stopped and pulled the tiny remote lock into his hand. "My car." He pushed a button, making the lights flash and the alarm beep. Leaving Naruto stunned. "Dobe?" he called out, climbing into the driver's seat.

"Eh?"

"Get in..." He pulled his door shut and waited for him to do the same. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just... shocked. I know someone, a sixteen year old kid at that, which owns six cars... And you get one every birthday!!" he poured out as he buckled his seatbelt. "And you still say that your parents don't give a _damn _about you. You could at least say that it helps the company or _something_."

"Yeah, I guess it does." He put the key in the ignition and started it up. He backed up and pulled out of the back of the house with professional expertise. Coming around the front, he approached the gate, and it opened by itself.

"How'd you do that??"

"Didn't. That was probably Mother or Father."

_Does he really say Mother and Father??_

Right after his statement was done-- ((To the beat of Fergalicious)) _HE'S THE S TO THE 'A'- 'S'-- 'U' THE 'K' THE 'E' AND AIN'T NO OTHA BOY DAT'S SEXIER THAN HEEM_

"Sasuke... is that??"

"Yyyyyyyup. Don'tcha love it?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Helio. "Moshi moshi."

_That's his ringer?! Are you serious?? How the hell?! I don't know if I'm more shocked that he has it or that it was remade..._

"Huh?... Really?... That's wonderful... I would be honored... Of course... Alright Tousan... Me?" He sounded shocked. "I am... on my way to take a friend to work... Yes... No Father..." Angry now? "Yes, I am very sure... Well, that is _so_ great... Gomen, I wasn't trying to be... I'll be sure to ask. Good-bye Tousan."

"What did your dad say?" he asked after the Helio was shut. ((Yes, writer is under threat of being swallowed by a spontaneous black hole that appears on my bed at cost of calling it a phone.))

"Well..." He looked both ways before finally pulling out of the gate. Turning onto the main road, he continued. "Apparently, your products were a huge success."

"Which ones?"

"All of them. but, the best was the new women's' clothing line, that I didn't see for some reason this morning, and the video game. They won over everyone on the board. The company is going to increase the budget, and is holding a... dinner to celebrate a breakthrough. They told me I could invite you, like I wouldn't, and to make sure you were 'safe.'"

"Safe as in..?"

"Okay for me to hang out with. He asks about everyone. Well... everyone but the Hyuugas anyway."

"Why not them?"

"Believe it or not, they're all pretty loaded. They own that hospital you work at."

"Really?"

"Yup. And they're family."

"Oh my fucking god are you serious?! You went out with family?!"

"I knew you'd say something like that," he said laughing full-heartedly. "We aren't directly related. We're very distant cousins."

"How did something like that happen??" he asked, finally lowering his hand from his mouth.

"A great reason to leave a boring ass party is to make small talk with someone you actually know. Well, we went for a walk one day. Hinata was like... sick at home or something. Anyway, we went into the maze in the back of the house, you know, to see who was smarter? Well... we met up in the middle and decided to stay there for a while. It was really pretty outside since it was night time. It was Spring too. So, we started talking about shit that bothered us and found out that there was a lot that was the same. Alright, you've got to remember that Itachi hadn't left yet."

"When was this exactly?"

"Ah... sixth grade?"

"Right. Keep going."

"Right. So anyway, I seriously think that he put alcohol in my drink. He was always doing that. He wasn't trying to hurt me or anything, he just knows what it was like to be surrounded in that life style at that age. Itachi wasn't always that bad. Regardless, I was a little tipsy, so I just started saying stuff. Of course, hormones took over and I told him he was pretty. I said his hair was really nice and that I ah... yeah, we'll skip that part. So, we hooked up, and then we started dating. We did that for about... two years? Yeah. He was my outlet, and I was his."

"Aww... that sounds so sweet... What happened?" the blond in the passenger seat crooned.

"We were too much alike. We started getting in each other's way with the council, meetings, planning, school, martial arts. We started running out of time for each other. Pretty soon, even _we _couldn't tell we were together. After the first year, everything was just hooking up when we got a chance to see each other. We grew apart, liked other people... If we see each other anymore, we just talk for the most part. It's rare that it goes anywhere else."

"Aww... Does it bother you at all?"

"Not really. He's got his stud, I sit at home working and brushing up for tournaments. I'm alright with that."

"I'd expect _you _to have someone..."

He shot him an I-can't-believe-you-would-say-something-like-that-ever-because-you-would-be-eaten-by-a-man-eating-catepillar-first look. "You think I'd be on you if I did? Don't make that face... Anyway, I wouldn't get with anyone in this school."

"A little hurt, but I'm fine."

"Huh? Wait.. no!! I didn't mean that--!"

Naruto raised his hand to his face and silenced him. "Nope!! I don't want to hear it!!" He shut his eyes tight and turned away to the window, fluttering his other hand to his chest in mock despair. "You don't love me, so just tell me why you won't date anyone else!!"

"Retard," Sasuke said smiling at the road and relaxing a bit more in his seat. "You know I lurrrrrrv you more than anyone else in the worrrrrrrld. But, I won't date anyone for many a reason. The most prominent, because they only want bragging rights."

"I don't get it..."

"What is there not to get?"

"The love part you freak. I highly doubt that was true."

"Ok fine. Believe what you want!!" He crossed his one arm over his chest and pouted. "You're just being a malicious dog rapist!!" He sniffed to add to his acting.

"That's what people tell me."

"Really?"

"Psshhtt... Yup. Everyday. They alllll do it."

"That's not fair..."

"Well..." He put a finger to his lips and stared up at the ceiling to think. "You've got Dobe, don't you? And I'm pretty sure I'm the only person that_ dares _call you Teme."

"I gueshhhh..." He stuck out his bottom lip in a pout and sent the other boy puppy-dog eyes.

"Aw... don't cry Shashuke..."

"Nope. Too late," he said sniffing again.

"Can I make it better?" Naruto offered in a sugary voice.

"Probably not."

"Try me." He thinks he's so triumphant right about now. He was so wrong. You'd think he was going to know what he was going to say, right?

"Cut it out. You know what I would've said."

"Nu-uh!!"

"Yeah right."

"I don't know what it is!!" he insisted. "Just say it."

"I've embarrassed myself enough for the day thanks."

"What makes you think you'll embarrass yourself?" he asked coyly.

"Stop being such a bitch. I don't want to get all... disoriented again. I'm driving."

"How can you be so sure that I won't go along with... whatever it is?"

"Because. You're secluded and protective of your personal being. You aren't going to."

"You want me to tell you why I get so cautious about my mouth?"

"... Yes."

He heaved a huge sigh and slammed his head against the head rest. His pancake plate was on the floor, and he almost kicked it. "I don't even think you _want _to know about that really."

"Told you."

"Look, just pick something else?"

"Ever had a girlfriend?"

"Nope."

"Boyfriend?"

"Nope. Unless you want to say you are, but I doubt that. So..."

CS says there's some interest in that statement. "What do you mean unless I wanted to?"

"Well, I've never really liked anyone at all like that. I never thought anyone was attractive or anything. But... I told you that you were pretty." _Not to mention your rockin' body... _"And... in case you haven't noticed, I've gotten kind of loose around you too."

"Yeah you have..."

"Since I've never had a... special friend, I don't know what it's like." He shrugged and turned his gaze back to the window. "I don't want to just jump into it though because... Well, we'll just say I have issues with that. So, even if you did agree to help me out with that, I'd still make you wait."

"Huh..." Blank. Not paying attention at all until the lights started flashing behind him. "Oh shit... Damn it." He made a sound between a groan and a sigh as he pulled over. "You know, you could've told me, Dobe."

"Ah... I did."

"Oh... Sorry."

"Spazz..."

"Alright," the old cop said through the window. "What are you doing that you run through two red lights without pulling over even after I start flashing you?"

"I'm sorry. I really have no excuse. I just... wasn't paying attention. Do you need my license, registration all that jazz?"

"Yes sir."

"Just a second." He patted his pockets but found nothing. "Dobe. Open the glove-box and get my papers?"

"Yeah, yeah..." He opened it and reached to the back of the compartment. Fishing them out, he retreated and leaned over the larger boy's lap. "Here _officer._ Hurry up you ass. I have to go to work."

"Dobe?! What the hell??"

The officer looked up, ready to snap on whomever it was that had just told him how he needed to do his job. Upon sight though, he stopped. "Uzumaki? What are you doing? I thought you'd be at the hospital by now? Don't you have an appointment?"

"Yeah perv, with you!! I was trying to get there!!"

"I'm not a perv Naruto."

"Oh, I'm _so _sorry, Super Pervert Jiriaya. A.K.A. head of Konoha Police."

"Indeed." Naruto groaned again. "Alright, I'm gonna let you go to work because I have to get back to the office."

"... You've got a new secretary don't you?"

He flashed him the biggest smile he could muster without cracking his face in half. "Yup! I just interviewed her yesterday! And you know from my desk, if I keep the door open, you can see the top of her thong."

"GET YOUR ASS BACK IN THE CAR PERV!!"

"I'm going..." He slouched and gave Sasuke his papers back. "I feel bad for whoever ends up with him. Ruins fun, kicks my ass, hell he even keeps me in line with that principal of his... He's more of a wretch than any woman I know... You know I hate you right, Uzumaki??" he stated rather loudly.

"No you don't. You told me so yourself. I'm like your kid or something." He smiled cutely, sending the man into a state of disgust.

"You have no soul..."

"Yes I do!! It's just not a very nice one."

"Guuuhhh..." He just mumbled to himself as he walked back to his patrol car.

"Oi! Perv!! You should think about taking that red crap off your face and maybe braiding your hair one day!!" he shouted over Sasuke's lap and out his window. "Might get a woman that's actually interested like that!!"

"That's one thing you'll never get me to do Uzumaki!!"

"Stop calling me that!!"

"Stop calling me perv!!"

"You know that won't happen." Waving, he pulled back in the car. He put his back to his seat and looked at Sasuke. "Plan on moving?"

"Just... gimme a second here. It took everything in me not to grab you just then."

"Ee..." He slouched a bit and blushed in his recollection of mercilessly grabbing his lap to stay upright in the window. "Just... hurry though. We've got five minutes... And I still have to take care of a hickey. I've got to be dressed before Hinata gets ready to leave for the top floor."

"Yes ma'am," the obsidian-eyed teen said as he shifted the car into drive again.

Naruto really did growl at him. "Stop giving me female titles, Uchiha."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not a woman."

"But... you're so pretty," he said batting his eyelashes at him. "I can't help it if I make such an easy mistake..."

"I thought it would be hard for you to make that kind of mistake though."

"Why?"

"Because you don't think girls are sexy."

"... You're not sexy either."

"Yeah, not to straight guys. Girls think I'm sexy too. I don't know why, but they_ have _told me that."

"_You_ have had suitors??"

"As unbelievable as that is," he said dryly, "yes. It started out with older girls saying I was cute. Then I started getting older myself. That's when the girls started touching me. Not like you do, but just a tap here, a hug or something in the halls. High school came... and they were everywhere. I try my best not to boast about my fan-club though. But the only way to stay away from them, is to eat greasy crap at lunch, hang out with another girl, or, like I usually do, sit in the library."

"Old or new?"

"Well, I'm thinking about going to the old one now since-- Hey!! Uncle Iruka said that no one under the seniors knew about that place!!"

"And... where did you think Itachi went to school?? As much trash that got in there, Konoha P. A. High is still a private school. The filters just caught more ragish kids when he was going there."

"Right. Teme... can you maybe... speed it up a bit? You're not getting in trouble with me. I know all the cops, and, if I didn't, I can play either part to woo them since you so eagerly imply that I look androgynous too."

He pushed down on the gas a little harder. "I'm not being negative. You just do. It's not a bad thing. I like pretty boys."

"I can tell."

"Come on... compared to usual, I've been civil."

"I guess... Heh, maybe it's true what they say then, huh?"

"What is?"

"Old friends just pick up where they left off," he offered smiling.

"You know... before middle school, you were my only friend other than Itachi. Then he turned on me, and I started tearing you apart... Che... you'd think that I would make friends with Subakuno before you did."

"Come on, Gaara isn't that bad. He's a nice guy."

"Oh yeah? I guess I didn't catch the news when Hell froze over."

He scowled at him before a quick retort. "It was able to once you left." And he got a scowl back. Smiling he continued. "He really is a good guy. People just shun him because of his dad you know? It's not his fault they're all asses."

"I wondered about that before. How is it that you didn't know his father was a murderer? It was everywhere."

Naruto just shrugged. "I just didn't. Even if I did, I wouldn't have cared. That's why he's a bully. His brother and sister were in school already before it all happened so they got off. They had friends already, but it was a whole new thing for him, so people didn't know how he was going to act. But... that's just not right. You can't judge people just by where they come from like that."

"I wish those otaku chicks thought like that. Maybe they wouldn't be after me like they are then."

"Did you just totally miss my point there?"

"No, not all. I'm just saying that it would be great if they all weren't trying to get my virginity." Staring is a universal habit amongst the people of Konoha. Really, they all do it just so much it's almost scary. You'd think they were _all _deranged killers. "What?" Sasuke asked, twisting uncomfortably under his gaze.

"_YOU_ are a _virgin_??"

"Yes," he said a bit testily. "We haven't had sex have we? No. Would I do that with Hyuuga? No. We wouldn't be able to get time in for that. I _am_ a virgin."

"But... HOW??"

"Would _you _want to do that with one of them? Here: 'Oh my god!! I slept with him!! Yes!! The Uchiha!! It was like... ohmigosh WOW...'" Naruto laughed at the oddly well done impression of his friend Saukra. "Really. I'm proud to say I haven't taken one of them."

"You know... I could've sworn you were just some stoic bastard that wasn't interested in anything other than yourself. But in just a day, I've been convinced to consider you one of my friends again." The smile he got for the comment was nice. It was really pretty. "I'm actually glad that I did."

"Why?"

"You don't act like you do with me around everyone else do you?"

"... No," he said scratching his cheek in contemplation. "I don't think I do."

"That's why. And, I don't act the same either."

"Really?"

He shook his shaggy blonde hair. "Nuh-uh. Watch me at school Monday. You'd be surprised how fake I am around everyone but you, Gaara, and Kiba. Sakura's almost there but... not really."

"I'll be sure to do that." He pressed the brake gently so not to beget whiplash. "We're here."

"Thanks Sasuke!!" Naruto called as he shut the door.

"Dobe!!" Sasuke called after him once he circled around the car.

"What?" he asked coming back and keeping his jogging up in place.

"Am I picking you up?"

He thought for a second after blinking away his shock. "Do you _want_ to?"

He shrugged. "I don't have to do anything today except for tutoring, and that's over at twelve."

"Really?" He nodded. "Okay then! Sure! Oh, hey. Come back on my lunch break? It's at one."

"Alright." He turned back to his wheel and put the car in drive.

"Hey!!" the blonde called rather defensively.

After grabbing the wheel again, he put it back in park. "What?!"

"I don't get a hug or anything??" His mouth was still open with wide eyes when he was done.

"Don't you have to go? And you want one from me??"

"I've got two minutes. That's more than enough time. Do you _really _think I make it here at the shift change taking the bus?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "And yes, I do. I get hugs from everyone. Even Gaara if I ask enough times to annoy him."

"And you're serious??"

"Yeah... Oh that's right..." He pulled back and undid his arms. "You're never there after school are you?"

"Nope."

"Well, I do. So, give me one."

"Bend over."

"No. You have to get out."

He sighed and motioned for him to back up so that he could open the door. Once he was out, Sasuke bent over to hug him then pulled back up, hands in his pockets. "Happy now?"

"Yup!" he exclaimed with a sunny smile. "Now leave. I have to go."

"Yeah, yeah..." He ducked back into his car and put it in drive, careful to keep his foot on the brake. "Are you sure that's it?"

"Yeah. I'll see you later!!" he said, waving as he trotted up the hospital stairs. He watched Sasuke pull off then entered the building.

* * *

Naruto is not gay. Naruto is not bisexual. He is not interested in a relationship with anyone, otherwise he'd have it. 


	8. Old FriendsNew Enemies

Alright, ignore my total lack to write blow jobs anymore let's move on-- Anyone else think Neji is slooooooooow?? I do!! I know, my (A/C) all suck but... it's cuz i've done comments already on dA soo... at a loss for words

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_Chapter: 8- Old Friends; New Enemies_

"Come on Hinata-Chan!! Puh-leeeeeeeease??" Naruto begged before her in his nurse's uniform. "I don't want the guests to get... perturbed. This thing'll totally ruin my bedside manner!!"

The dark haired girl just harrumphed and turned up her nose. "I told you last time. I'm not giving it to you anymore." She crossed her arms and turned around. "That's enough of me covering for you don't you think?"

"No!! I mean, I know I taught you to stand up for yourself, but this is _me_ we're talking about!!" The locker room was long since emptied, so the silence that followed was threatening.

"Tell me why I should give it to you then."

"I'll give you whatever you want!! ...Except for the person's name."

"I don't want anything from you Naru-chan!!" she whined, stamping her foot into the ground.

"Look, I know your daddy owns the hospital, so I'm not getting fired for it, but I don't want it to seem like I can get away with anything if I wanted. It isn't fair to everyone else."

"H... How did you know about that?"

"'Bout what?? Oh! Uchiha. We were talking in the car."

"He drove you here?"

He nodded. "Yeah. He just left before I came in here."

"... What..." She raised a hand to her chin to get the question right. "What car did you take?"

"The Lexus..?"

"AHHHHH!!" She just might've screamed loud enough for the entire district to wake up.

"Uhm... What?"

"Here!" She pulled the long sought after cover-up out of her locker and tossed it to him. He just caught it before it slipped from his grasp. "Put it back when you're done!! You know the combination, right??" He nodded. "Ok! I'll see you at lunch then!" She gave him a quick, tight hug. "I have to go do something upstairs. Buh-bye Naru-chan!!" She ran out of the room waving behind her.

"Buh-bye..." he said meekly, almost ten seconds after she left."What the hell...? Whatever!! I've got the cover-up." He opened her locker in maybe five seconds and used the mirror on the inside of the door to examine his hickey. "Oh Jesus... What were you thinking?! Kuso... This thing is huge..." He gazed at the large, purple and red bruise with disdain. "I can't believe you sometimes... Always making me waste her expensive stuff..." He opened the jar and got some on his fingers. He was careful to rub it in evenly before deciding that it looked ok. "Well... That's that." He sighed before putting the tiny glass jar in the locker and closing it. "Welp!" he cried, pushing the double doors open. "First appointment is with that pervert mentor of mine. He's probably not even there yet... most likely chasing after some girl."

He went behind the front desk and checked the sign in sheet. Yup, he was right after all. The man wasn't even signed in. "But his car is right there..." He sighed before hitting the PA system button. Clearing his throat, in the most girlish voice he could muster, he said, "Paging a Mister Jiriaya. Paging a Mister Jiriaya. There's a Miss Tsunade here at the front desk for you. She says it's urgent. Please come immediately. Thank you." In maybe a minute, he was skidding around the corner, coming to a speedy halt by ramming his stomach into the countertop.

"Geez... It's only Naruto... I thought I was in trouble."

He only smiled. "That's a nice thing you've got going on there. The red hand imprint you're sporting just pulls it all together with the nose-bleed."

"Guh! Are you serious?" Nod. "Gimme a tissue?" He handed him one and pushed the sign in booklet to him. "What's this?"

"You need to sign in to get your appointment taken care of. That way, you can get back to your secretary."

"Right!!" He scribbled the date, time, and his name in the provided boxes. "Done. Come on, I'm only here for a follow up, so it shouldn't take that long right?"

"Right." He pushed his way out from behind the desk and grabbed Jiraiya's sleeve. "I'm holding you so you don't run off. No use in asking either."

"Okay..."

"Alright." He pushed open the door to an examination room. "Sit. You're here for the alcoholic poisoning right?"

"Yeah."

He tsk tsked him. "Setting such a bad example. You're the police chief!!"

"Hey!! It was _literally _alcoholic _poisoning._ That woman is crazy."

"Yeah yeah, say what you want. All I'm doing is filling out the paper work and taking the blood pressure." He put his pencil down and stood up... Yes, he sat down when they got there. He wrapped the fabric around his arm and took his blood pressure. Then, he made sure to record everything else he did. "Alright. I'm leaving. Do_ not _go anywhere."

"I won't..."

"Good." He shut the door behind him, leaving the papers in the basket that hung from it. "Now... just eight million more to go...

He was happy when one o' clock came rolling around. He let out a sigh when he shut his last door and went to the locker room for his hour and a half long break. Placing his hand on the door, he pushed. Before he could go in though--

"Naru-niichan!!"

"Ah!" Yup. All he could do was make a sound when he turned to see who it was. "What is it cough Moegi?"

"Edo said he's sick again..."

He patted the girl that was holding on to him for dear life on the head. "Edo's fine. He's what we call a hypochondriac."

"A whaaaat??"

He smiled down at her. "That's just a really big word we use that means someone thinks they're sick when they really aren't."

"Oh... Oh!! Konohamaru-chan said to tell you something!!"

"What is it?" he asked bending over to her height.

Leaning next to his ear, she whispered, "He said he needs to talk to you about something private. He wouldn't tell me what it was, but he said it couldn't wait too long..."

"Is that so?" he whispered back. "Well, tell him that Niichan is coming. I have to get changed first, okay?"

"Okay!! I'll see you later, Naru-niichan!!"

He smiled as he watched the little girl retreat. "And people wonder why I want to be a cop... Che. Who cares if I'm small..." He pushed through to the locker room and stopped. "Did I... miss a memo or something??"

"Hm?" A pair of pale eyes came up to meet him.

"Oh my god... I _love _you Naruto," Sasuke gasped out from the floor.

"This is an... odd sight..." Indeed it was. Somehow, Neji had managed to get Sasuke into the locker room. Not only that, but he had him pinned to the floor too. And... It didn't exactly look platonic. "What happened?"

"He didn't believe me when I said that _you_ were the other person I was talking about when I told them all that I didn't do the project," Sasuke answered.

"So?"

"So he decided he was going to fuck the truth out of me. Like I would lie about something like that... Please tell him that you did it?"

"I really did Neji..."

"Oh sure..." He rolled his eyes and tightened his grip on the Uchiha's wrists, forcing a hiss from him. "You're only saying it because he asked you to. You're an idiot remember? I've been telling you that for years."

"Che..." _And he said he liked me??_ "That's why I don't like you Hyuuga. Always putting people down..." He walked over to his locker. "You know what?? I'm tired of it. So, I'm gonna kick your ass." He got it opened and took off his tiara.

"You aren't serious... Have you seen yourself lately??" He locked eyes with him, sending him a cold, hard stare. "There's no way you could take me."

"I'm not hitting you. Please, I'd rather die before I fought anyone other than Kiba or 'Suke." He turned around and smiled at him. "So, I'm trying something Inuzuka suggested."

"And that would be..?" That came out rather angrily at the mention of the other boy's name.

"As much as I say I'm not, I'm sexy. And I know this." The long haired boy's eyes got wide and he just stared at him. "Yup. So I think I'm going to test that out. Even if you weren't holding him down, I would still be changing."

"You're doing what now??" both boys on the floor asked.

"Getting undressed and putting different clothes on. I have a lunch date."

"Come on Uzumaki... haven't I seen you in your underwear enough this weekend?" Sasuke groaned, shutting his eyes tight.

"Then don't look. I don't care," he added while unzipping the back of the nurses' apron. Okay, it was really a dress, but who cares, right? "I'm not out to get you this time 'Suke. I'm actually trying to help." He slid the top down to his shoulders. "So shut up and deal with it?"

"Oh God... I can't do this..." He looked up at the boy on top of him. Oh yes, he was totally indulged. He had to be not to notice that his hair was hitting Sasuke in the face every time he shook from his obvious excitement. "You know... he's wearing my underwear." _Maybe that'll get his attention._

"He is not."

_Gotcha now, don't I?_ "Ask him. He's wearing boxers instead of his usual boxer-briefs."

"You're lying."

Sasuke managed a shrug under his weight. "It's only a matter of time before you find out for yourself. Only an Uchiha has underclothes with the logo on them."

Neji just stared as the dress was slowly dropped from his slender form. Sure enough, he was in Uchiha brand boxers. "No..." he whined. "Why can't he be my friend?"

"Because he's already got low self-esteem, and you just shoot him to the floor every chance you get. He told me so himself."

"I do not."

Sasuke couldn't believe he would even try to lie like that. Was he serisous? "Come on Hyuuga... you do it to everyone. What do you say to anyone who gets a worse grade than you? When you give a better performance? When you're recognized for something that they had a small chance for to begin with?" Neji thought for a second before a slight frowned greeted his mouth. "Exactly. Stop being so crude and you might get somewhere."

"But.. I'm just like that."

"Then... try being nice when we aren't in school. You're here when he is right?" _Why am I giving him advice on this again?_ He waited for the boy to nod before continuing. "Start there then. Try a compliment instead of being a prideful ass."

"Fine..." He turned his gaze back to where Naruto was. WAS. "Where'd he go?"

There was a squeak in the distance and then the running of water could be heard. "There's your answer."

"He's... in the shower??"

"You alright there??"

"Yeah, I'm fine..."

"..." _What was that?!_ "UGH?! That's gross!! Get the fuck off me!!" He pushed with all the might he had left in his body and got the bored looking boy off of him. "I sooooo did not need to feel that."

"Hey, you've got one too, so you can't criticize."

"Not like that!!" he said pointing. "That's... insane."

"Oh come on... you can honestly say that you don't mind that much?"

"Hyuuga... I'm in _his_ gym class _with_ you. Meaning, we all take a shower together. Other than that... let's just say some things went on this morning and I've had enough Uzumaki for a while."

"Yeah... Hinata told me that you took the Lexus."

"Point? It's the only one I drive."

"The only one you drive alone." Instant blush. "Knew it. Looks like we're rivals on something else now."

"Maybe... this is something you aren't beating me in though."

"Why's that?"

"I see him more often. I also don't have a problem doing anything," he said smirking. "Watch..." He made his way around the corner to look into the showers. There were curtains, so he wasn't going to see him. "RU!!"

"What?! Can you not tell I'm bathing?!" the blonde shouted back.

"Are you almost done? I told Hinata ten minutes."

"Yes, 'Suke. Geez, I'm pretty good with time thanks... and she has to wait anyway. I have to do something before I go see her."

"But are you almost done?"

"I just said yes Teme!! Gimme two minutes!!"

"Ok... Oh! Ru!!"

"Nanitte-bayo?!"

"I brought _your _underwear. Want 'em??"

"Oh my god, are you serious?! Thank you!! Yours are _way _too big for me. Just hold them till I'm done?"

"'K."

"So..." Neji eyes him with a bored looking suspicion. "What exactly did you do?"

"Give it a second..."

The water stopped some twenty seconds later. "Aw.. Shimmata!! I don't have a towel?!" could be heard from that area.

"Snagged it," Sasuke whispered proudly holding it up. "I love me sometimes... Now to put is somewhere..." He just tossed it and it landed on the floor right in front of Naruto's locker. "Perfect. And now I sit..." He sat on the bench and laid down.

"What are you doing?" Neji scoffed leaning over to leer at him.

"Just shut up. Oh hey, why didn't you believe me when I said it was Ru?? I know it isn't because you think he's dumb. That's just your cover for this one. I know for a fact that he's relatively smart. He does everything right, he just flunks the tests..."

"You're right. But I'm not telling you why I try to put him down."

"Fine. Tell me why you were so willingly ready to rape me to tell you."

He bent close to him and smiled. "Next to him, you're the prettiest."

"Ooooooh... I thought that would be Kank?"

Neji shook his head. "No. He dumped me for another lipstick wearing freak."

"You know it isn't lipstick, right?"

"I know." Neji just rolled his eyes at his stupidity. "I just like to think it is sometimes. Anyway, he let me go for Inuzuka."

"Really?" Sasuke folded his arms under his head. "That's odd. I never thought someone would have the balls to leave you."

"You did."

"I don't count. I can do anything. Except keep a boyfriend. Or... get one for that matter." He scrunched up his face at the revelation.

"Hell... I tell you all the time that I'm still here."

Sasuke opened his eyes and looked him with them only half open... _Oh? Can we say you're a lustful freak?? _"I know. I just don't think we'll get anywhere."

"Why's that?"

CS says: Go smirk!! So big Sasuke did. "We'd both want to be on top."

"Good guess."

"I know."

"'Suke!!" Naruto yelled from around the corner.

He rolled over on the bench and looked behind him. "What?"

"Gimme!!" the blonde shouted, a scowl creeping along his lips.

"What?"

"My towel dammit!! If you can't tell, I'm wet!! And hospitals tend to be freezing!!"

"Here," he said tossing it to him. "You're on your own for the other stuff."

"Uh..."

"What now??" the heir asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"Do you 'member this morning?" he asked, bringing his head all the way around the corner.

"Are you unable to say the first syllable to certain words now like Sasuke and remember?"

"'Suke I'm serious!!" he pouted, stomping his foot behind the row of lockers.

"Yes I vividly remember the whole thing. Why?"

"... Still there."

"What is?"

"That fucking... _thing_!!"

Neji's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. What? No!! Hyuuga Neji doesn't get surprised!! He just felt like stretching his face is all. Don't get the wrong idea there.

"Did he just say... _fuck-ing?_" he asked, mouthing the word slowly.

"Yes," Sasuke said, nodding slowly with a worried look on his face."Why wouldn't he? But what is it Naruto? I really don't know."

"When you were dressing me!! I know you remember!! I could've spat in your face for that one!!"

_When what..? _I'd say Neji was in denial.

"... OH!! That... thing. Still there?? Are you serious?"

"Yes!!" he explained exasperatedly. "They tend to stay for a couple of days. This one's here for a week at least... You either get Hinata, or he doesn't look for two minutes while I fix it."

"Neither of us knows where Hinata is, so he just won't look, right Hyuuga?" Naruto gave him a hopeful look and he agreed, much against his will. He sat down on the bench and faced the other way, where as Sasuke just rolled over. "Hurry up before I'm tempted to do it again." Grumbling he made his way over to the row of lockers again. Sasuke saw the huge purple and red mark this time. It looked like a jellyfish was just thrown on him and then cut up.

"Bastard..." the angry boy spat when he caught his gaze. He moved quickly to re-cover the hickey and put everything in Hinata's locker. "Awesome. Done, and it looks pretty decent. Oh thank you gods... I love this stuff. We just might get married."

"Lemme see?" Sasuke asked like a five year old. Naruto just barred his neck to him. "I'm half blind. I can't see that far." Naruto sighed and just moved right in front of him. Hell, he was gonna wind up doing it anyway. "Oh wow... that's shit must be damn good. Did you see it before? It was nasty..."

"Yeah. I know."

Sasuke sort of smiled. "Don't complain about it. And don't marry the stuff either. If you do, you can't have my babies." The now self-proclaimed daring brunette grabbed the half naked boy and pulled him down to plant a kiss on his lips. Neji watched in a stunned state of awe.

Pushing himself up by pressing his hands against Sasuke's shoulders Naruto frowned. "What happened to that's the last time?"

"I said it was the last time I would _ask._" The cerulean-eyed boy turned around grumbling and pulled his boxer-briefs up under his towel. Once they were on, he dropped it and pulled his locker open.

"Great. School uniform again. This is getting gross..." He thought for a second. "Hey Sa-syu-ke??"

"What?" said brunette ground out.

"Gimme your second outfit."

"My what?" he asked blinking.

"I know you always where shorts and a tee-shirt under whatever else you have on. Just give it to me."

"Why?"

"I don't wanna wear my uniform again..."

"Make me an offer."

"Nuuuuu... Neji's in here. I'm not doing anything like that."

_He's not doing what while I'm here??_ Neji really had to contemplate on that one. It took him a good ten seconds while Sasuke was thinking of a 'task.' Once the pale-eyed boy got it, he let a faint blush cross the bridge of his nose.

"Alright hit him," Sasuke decided.

CN says to stare. Naruto says to be silent. It works. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I want to see you try to hit him."

"Are you serious??" Sasuke nodded. "Are you okay with that Neji?"

"Uh..." _Sorry, Neji isn't here right now. He's too busy thinking... and staring... Maybe sticking around for showers isn't such a bad idea... _**SNAP!! SNAP!!**

"Hyuuga?" Naruto called again.

"Yeah, I'll do it," he said, finally giving a real response. "Move the bench Sasuke?" He did, and Neji got into his fighting stance. Naruto just stood a few yards away from him. "Are you ready?" he asked unsure of what the other boy was doing.

"Yup. Just bring it Ka-wa-gan..."

"Oh, you're dead..." In five seconds, Neji had him pinned against the wall, arm twisted behind his back along with a sharp elbow. He pushed himself against the smaller boy with all his might against the wall. "What can you do now?"

"Only this..." He put his lips on his chin and pulled with a gentle sucking motion. That just might have sent Neji into nervous shock. Taking advantage of that, Naruto slipped between his legs and came out behind him. He went to grab him, but he had already recovered. He dodged his grip by pushing off the wall and flipping into the air. Adding a twist near the end, he managed a sweep kick across his ankles. Catching Naruto before he bashed his head open, he just pushed him against the same wall again, this time a knee in his back.

"Now what?"

"Oh... my god..." he said totally shocked. "Neji... that was so totally awesome!! Jesus shit!! Where did you learn that??" he asked twisting around in his vice-like grip. He winced a bit, but hell, he'd been ignoring pain for all day. "Can you teach me that??"

"Huh?" the long haired enigma asked letting him go. "Why would you want to know that?"

"Because that so owns!! I want to do something like that, but none of my cheerleader friends will teach me. Please?!"

"Ah..."

"Oh yah!! This isn't why I distracted you either, I just remembered. Don't let this affect your decision?"

"Wha--?" He was cut off by a fierce uppercut that sent him sailing backward.

"Gimme the clothes 'Suke," Naruto demanded , turning to face him.

"But you cheated!!" he persisted.

"I did it though... But Neji I really did mean that!!" he added. "Now come on Uchiha. I want to go see the kids so I can see what Hinata was all excited about this morning. I want to eat lunch too."

"Fine..." He took of his black tee-shirt and gave him the one under it-- red. Then, he took off his jeans and gave him the black gym shorts underneath. "There."

"You actually match these?" He pulled on the outfit and looked himself over. "Oh wow... they really fit too."

"Feh... keep it."

"Really? Thanks 'Suke!!" He smiled and hugged him. Letting go he went over to where Neji had hit the floor. "I'm really sorry about that. Here." He offered his hand and pulled him up. "I'm going, don't kill each other... and don't have sex either please?" He hugged Neji too and took off at a trot toward Edo's normal room by the front desk.

"Well," Sasuke said as he started buttoning his jeans back up again. "You should be happier."

"What?" Neji asked rubbing his abused chin. He sent him a glare that melted instantly at the sight of his naked torso.

"Don't stare, it might burn..." the spiky-haired teen whined, turning away and cover his chest with an arm.

"Dumbass..."

"Anyway. You got a hug, right Hyuuga?"

"Yeah... but so did you."

"Exactly. You are now officially viewed as friend in the ancient scroll no Uzumaki."

"Really?"

Sasuke nodded as he started to pull his shirt back over his head. "Yeah," he said through it. "If he doesn't like you, he'll just say bye. Well, that's what he says," he added as he pulled his head all the way through. He wished he hadn't though. When he could see again, Neji was right in his face. "What?"

The pale eyed boy bit his lip and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Once."

"Huh?" Yes, it is possible for an Uchiha to be utterly confused.

"I forget what it was like. Will you kiss me just once? It's been so long since I've had one from _any_body."

_Wow, _Sasuke thought. _That's really random... how to handle this... _"Didn't Kank' _just _break up with you?"

"Yes. I told you though, we weren't that involved."

Sasuke ran a hand through his short, spiky hair letting out a frustrated sigh. "Yeah... come on." He brushed the stray strands of hair-- that had flown from the pony-tail in Naruto's contact-- behind his ear. He took his chin in his hand and pulled his lips to his. After a while, he started moving his mouth against the other. He felt the older boy's tongue run along his lips, so he parted them for him. Neji took charge from there. He fisted the boy's shirt at the shoulders and pushed him against the row of lockers, making sure to place his thigh firmly between his legs. He made certain to explore every fold of Sasuke's mouth with his appendage, liking the feel of his sliding against it. When he felt the dark-eyed teen moan into his mouth, he began to move his leg, starting to work his hands up under the tee-shirt as well. He rubbed his nipples and massaged his erection at the same pleasuring pace.

"You were always too good at this," Sasuke mumbled against him. He finally gave in and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"That was the only good thing though, wasn't it?"

"At last we can agree on something..."

"I can think of something else too." He took one hand form his chest and moved it down to toy with the waistband of his pants. "You want me to?" he asked, rubbing his member through the fabric of his jeans.

"Oh God..." Sasuke pleaded bucking into his touch. "Yes."

"You sure?" he asked menacingly after he had unbuttoned them.

"Yes," he said again, grabbing his shoulders.

"Say it then..."

"I... I want you."

"You want me to what?"

"I want you to... suck me off Neji."

"Why?" he asked, pulling him out of his boxers and wrapping his hand around tightly.

"Because it feels so good when you do it."

"It does?"

"Fuck... Yes!!" He gripped his shoulders tightly, digging his nails into his skin. He forced him down, pleading for his release.

"You know, I love when you do that," he said finally getting on his knees and getting close, ghosting heat over him. When at last he felt his length be taken in by the moist warmth, Sasuke shuddered.

"Go..." So he did. His head bobbed up and down, but only a few times. He pulled off and ran his thumb over the leaking head, smearing pre-cum all over it. "Neji... don't do that... not now..."

"But you look so beautiful when you're hard like this." He leaned back in and moved his tongue along he length of the shaft, stopping to run the tip over the slit at the end again. "You want that instead?"

"Yes."

"Fine." He took him full in the mouth again, and this time he didn't stop. He pumped at the base in time with his sucking.

"Nnnngghh... don't you dare stop this time." He grabbed his hair from the top of his scalp, just to have something for leverage. When it got intense, he tightened his grip and made him wince a bit. When he got really close, he started bucking again, slamming into his inviting mouth until he saw stars on the lockers across from him and lost his rhythm. Finally, he came violently in his mouth, and Neji swallowed the hot seed. He tucked him back in and stood up, looking at the flushed teen.

"You're not done you know..." He pushed against him to pronounce his erection as well and kissed him. Tasting himself on his swollen lips almost got him started again, but Sasuke started thinking about tedious things like tutoring and meetings. With those things in mind, he pulled Neji out of his pants and stroked his shaft until he came into his hand. Satisfied, he just pulled his hand up between them after putting the other boy's cock back in its place. Neji took it and sucked every digit clean, leaving Sasuke to lick his palm. Completed, they kissed again. When he was done, Sasuke found a sink.

"You know, you really suck Hyuuga." He turned on the faucet and ran the water over his hands.

"Yes I do," he replied, doing the same.

"I meant personality wise. It's not right to trick someone into doing that."

"I didn't trick you," he said drying his hands off. "You seemed pretty happy about the whole thing."

"Maybe, stress the maybe, but--" He stopped after he had tossed his paper towel in the trashcan.

"Didn't I say_ not _to have sex?" Naruto said with a frustrated sigh from the bench he was sitting on. "Not that I'm ungrateful for the show, but I do come in here four times a day... And that was my locker thanks."

"Damn." Neither of the two boys knew what to say to that. I mean, what _could_ they say? It's not like it was an accident, and it isn't like Neji can say he didn't intend for that to happen. Sasuke... he had an excuse-- he was tempted.

"Ru... how long have you been in here?" He actually looked more pissed than embarrassed...

"Only since you got rammed against the lockers. I had turned right back around when I realized that I left my wallet in here still." He shuddered a bit. "I was content on listening out the door but..." --he shot them both a lustful gaze-- "it's not that easy."

"Cut it out Naruto," Sasuke said, throwing whatever was in his pocket at him. He caught it and looked at it in disgust. "You at least could have said something."

"Really Uchiha, I didn't need to see a stack of these."

"I wasn't showing them to you. I was hoping they'd blind you on contact, after all, they nearly killed me; one got so close to my eyes. It was whizzing by like a razor or something. And, if they don't kill you, maybe you could call one of them and not get stuck after school where I have to babysit you."

"You know," the blonde said as he removed the rubber band, "you could make your own card to hand out to these girls." He sifted through them stopping every now and then to scoff at one. "It should tell them to fuck off. Or you could announce your homosexuality. Although, that might just turn them on more."

Neji just watched as they chatted back and forth on the subject. _How the hell can they just drop something like that? And since when are they best friends? When did they give each other nicknames? And since when does Uzumaki swear? Why am I being ignored?! Where have I been..._

"Helluuuuuuu? Neji! Wake up!!" Naruto shouted in his face. Coming to, he blinked his pale eyes and stared.

"What?" he asked rather annoyed to have been taken from his daze.

"Are you coming with us to lunch? Hinata'll be there."

"... Are you asking me to?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Naruto furrowed his brow, causing lines to appear on his forehead. "Why? You don't want to? I'm not going to make you--"

"I'd be glad to come," Neji said hastily. He kicked himself in his mind's eye for that one.

"Alright," the tiny boy said with a smile. "Let's get going then." He turned and opened his assaulted locker first, grabbing his wallet and stashing it in his pocket.

"You don't need it..."

"I know 'Suke," he whined, shutting the door again. " I just like to carry my own money."

"Whatever. Are you getting yours too Hyuuga?" the brooding boy asked. _Damn... Even after all that sleep... Guess I really am sick this time..._

"Already got it," he said pulling out his wallet on its chain for a moment. "Can we go now? We've wasted almost half of the lunch hour."

"Hm? Oh! We get an extra half hour today anyway, Neji. The boss told us on first break today. He said he was holding a party in the cafeteria for... some stock or investment shit. I'm guessing... that's what I did??" he asked staring up at the teen behind him, a look of inquisitively pasted on.

"Sure is." He shifted his gaze. "Don't you just love him, Hyuuga? He's like a little kid or something." He plopped his forearm on his head, bringing up a whine from the whiskered boy. "I'm sorry Ru. I'm tired, and I don't feel like falling over."

"How can you be tired? You slept the whole night."

_How would he know that?_ Neji wondered to himself.

"Maybe, but I couldn't go back to sleep after I got back home you know. And my sugar crash? Yeah, I think that just kicked in."

"I thought that was at four-thirty when you stopped kicking me!!"

"Hey." He sent him a glare of daggers. "I don't do sweets. I can't help it if they work all retarded on me."

"... 'Suke. Shut up."

"'K."

_Since when does he agree like that? _"Sasuke... are you okay?"

"Peachy keen little man."

_He should have called me miss... _"Have you been drinking?"

"Nope. I don't like that shit. It doesn't taste all that great."

"Smoking?"

"Nope. I quit when school started again... though I can't remember when I picked it up in the first place..."

"Stop being a dumbass... Come on!" Naruto grabbed his sleeve and dragged him to the door. "Neji? Are you coming?" he beckoned over his shoulder.

"Yes." The lanky boy picked up his figure and began to move over to the door. Reaching it, he pulled it open and waited for the other two to walk out. Once cleared, he let it fall back in place.

"Here, hold him please? I have to check on something. Come if you want, I'll just be busy." After receiving a nod from the usually quiet boy, he skipped over to the door closest to the desk. Knocking a few times in a previously set rhythm, he pushed it open and popped his head inside.

"Niichan!! You're finally here!!" Konohamaru called out. "I mean... what took you so long?"

He chuckled behind his silently closed lips. "I got tied up. I'm sorry."

"You'd better be... And who are they??" he demanded as he pointed past Naruto.

"Them? That's Sasuke and Neji. They're friends. Believe me, they aren't out to get you right now. So, what's going on here? Moegi said it was important."

"Oh... yeah. This time it really is." A frown had made its way across his young face.

"Aw... You know I hate the sourpuss... Come on," he cheered placing a hand on his back. "We're going in the hall to talk about it alright?" He nodded and allowed his big brother to lead him out. You're right, he isn't really his brother, but Konohamaru grew up with him around all the time save for school. It's only natural that he would think of him in such a place.

"Niichan..." he started once they had stopped. "I don't know how to say it..."

"Aw... come on. Don't worry, just tell me." He bent his knees, resting most of his weight on his toes. "What is it?"

"Well... Grandpa... His birthday is coming up. I was wondering if maybe you would help me celebrate it? Even if it's just going to the grave with me, it would be better if you were there."

"Aw..." Naruto heard the boy sniff, so he placed a hand on his head. "Of course I'll come. But you have to promise not to cry. What would Grandpa think if he saw you doing that?"

"He'd think I could never be mayor!!" He used his sleeve to wipe away the few tears that had escaped. "I'm gonna show him he was wrong. He thinks he's so cool... quitting to run a high school for brats!! I'll show him for sure."

"That's right." He stood up and smiled down at him. "Now, are you going to convince Edo that he isn't sick?"

"You bet!! Thanks Niichan!!" he shouted as he ran back to the small room.

Realization... "Konohamaru!!" He stopped and turned around to look at what he wanted. "You got put into my psychology class for the term right?" He nodded. "And that's only because you're in middle school, right?" Another nod. "Why did they say that you were supposed to be in a foreign exchange program yesterday then?"

"Oh that... Well what happened was." He began rubbing the back of his head with a strained smile. "It's funny really. I was at the airport all packed and ready to go... but I missed the flight. Since I'm still just a kid, they won't let me handle things like that on my own. So... They sent someone else and told me just to stay home for the week because of Grandpa anyway."

"... You lucky punk!! I wish I could get something remotely close to that..." He shook his head to clear it of all thoughts. "Alright, go get your friends. I have to go."

"But..." He groaned before deciding to just go over and hug the short blonde on his own will.

"That's new..."

He just smiled up at him. "Don't get the wrong idea. I know I always say get away, but I really like your hugs. They make me feel safe for the day."

Naruto just hugged him back and placed a hand on his head. "That's a good thing to know... Now come on. I really do have to get going. Alright?"

"'K!! I'll see you tomorrow Niichan!!"

"Bye Konohamaru," he said waving a final good-bye. "Neji!! Get 'Suke and let's go!!"

"Yes sir..." He shot the boy slumped over in the chair a hateful leer. "Damn you Uchiha..."

((PARTY))

After fighting to get Sasuke to walk on his own, they finally made it to the cafeteria. Too many people. And Naruto knew close to none of them.

"Hinata-Chan!!" he called into the many crowds. At the fifth one, she came out.

"Ah! There you are. I've been looking for you. Why are you so late?" she asked frowning.

"One and two." He threw a thumb over his shoulder and pointed at his friends. They just happened to be standing at the punch bowl, helping themselves to everything around there. Sasuke moved rather slowly from being tired. Neji was just being picky. "See how they are? Can't cooperate with people like that." He shook his head. "Now, why were you all peppy this morning?"

"Oh that!" She giggled behind her hand before continuing again. "You said you took the Lexus right?"

"Yeah. I was going to eat my pancakes in there, but..."

She just stared and blinked at him. Alright,so she didn't stare but... she just looked at him like... he was a talking chicken or something. "Are you serious?"

"Yes..? Why?"

"Ohmigosh!! Okay, you have to _know _something about the Lexus first: his brother got it for him when he turned thirteen, and he--"

"Attention everybody." She turned around, upset to be cut off by the voice on the microphone. Head of the hospital and second largest stock holder, 10, of the Uchiha franchise, Hyuuga Hiashi stood on the small stage. "All right. Do any of you actually know why you're here?" After receiving no responce, he went on. "Well then, I'll tell you. As you all _should_ know, Konoha P. A. General is a high ranking affiliate with the Uchiha Emterprises. Today we recieved news that a recent project is predicted to throw stocks into an all time high." Still no response. "Shorter work hours with the same pay will be given tgo all," he explained, placing a hand to his forehead and swinging his hair from side to side. He sighed when they finally cheered. "Alright now, the person who did this..."

"Oh wow!!" Naruto gushed totally missing Sasuke leave Neji by the punch bowl to walk on stage. "Maybe then I don't have to worry about that third job!! If I work over time with the shorter hours..." He started counting on his fingers.

"Naru-Chan," Hinata warned. "Don't hurt yourself with all this. If you work too much overtime, you're going to die in school."

"That won't happen," he claimed, waving his hand at the obsurdity. "As long as you, Kiba, and Gaara are around, I can get help."

"You shouldn't be so dependent Naru-Chan. It could get you into trouble later on."

"Don't worry. I don't get lost or far behind in anything ever. And I'm sertainly not dependent... except for your cover-up.  
Which totally pawns!! Look at this."

She looked as long and hard as she could. "What am I looking at?"

"Exactly! That stuff is so cool."

"Hey... Don't pull me off subject. Anyway... maybe we should listen to Daddy." She turned around and watched him up on the stage. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Naruto? Pay attention? No! You aren't_ crazy..._

"He just said he didn't do it..."

"Who did what now?" he asked scrunching up his face, still choosing not to listen to a word that was being said.

"Go!"

"Huh?"

"GO!! They just called you to go on the stage thing."

"Whatever happened to the little shy, trembling Hinata that was in love with me?"

"She left when you became friends. Now get up there!!"

She started pushing, and he just dug his heels into the ground. "Wait! What am I doing? I don't even know what's going on Hinata-Chan!!"

"You'll figure it out," she said rolling her eyes as she pushed him up the last few steps. There was applause from the large group of workers that had decided to actually stay. He just swallowed hard and shoved his hands in his pockets.

_Damn... And Ojisan says I'm observant. Che... not when I need to be, huh? **What are you going to do? **I dunno... Stand here?_ He felt a tug on his arm but didn't acknowledge it until he was standing infront of a microphone with an odd weight about his shoulders. _What the hell..? _He turned his head to the left a little and caught sight of Sasuke again. _Oh thank God... Please tell me he can make this better..._

"Yes for the last time. He did the project. I think I might've made a toy last night, but that's it. So stop asking please?"

"But Naruto??" one of the crowd members shouted increduously. "That is the Naruto I work with, right?"

"Yes," Sasuke aswered working his shoulders in a circle. That made the arm around the blonde's shoulder move, and it felt really awkward.

"Eww..." he whispered. "Stop it Uchiha. That feels so nasty."

"I didn't do anything." He gave him one of those don't-you-dare-start-with-me-now-little-person looks you get from your mother for interrupting her on the phone when you were five. Yeah, the one that sent you into the next room crying? That's it. Naruto just sighed and turned his gaze to the ceiling. _Oh my god... this is so boring. It isn't helping the fact that I barely slept last night either... Sure I can put up a good front, but I can feel my eyes getting heavy from working all day and standing up here. He needs to wrap it all up so I can sit down somewhere._

"Naruto!" There was a violent shake on his shoulder and he looked down from the ceiling.

"What?" he asked with wide surprised eyes, still somewhat stuck in his shock.

"I can't answer that."

"Answer what?" he called out gesturing vaguely to the crowd.

"Where'd you get the idea for the video-game? It sounds so kick-ass!!" one of the guys shouted. He didn't sound to be anything under thirty.

"Ah..." He let his brain fizzle for a while, letting CN attend to the synapses that needed to be plugged back in. When they were sending signals again, he blinked and straightened from his slouching position. "Right. Well, it wasn't that hard. All I had to do was apply my own life to it. When you think about it, the characters are all very similar to my friends."

"Mind explaining that a little?"

"Ah... Let's see." He took his hands from his pockets and crossed his arms over his chest. Adjusting his stance, he cocked his head and stuck out his top lip. "Alright. If you even looked at the characters, you'd see that there is a resemblance, but the personalities match as well. For example: The lead character looks and acts much like me, only slightly more masculine. No, I'm not vain enough to give myself the lead role without a reason. I'm not ruining the ending, so I'm not telling his story. But..."

"Well then where does the story go?"

"I thought you already knew that?"

"Bratty teenagers... Not everyone does Uzumaki!"

"Alright, all right. Uhm... I think they were ninjas, and their village was being infiltrated. The main villain was after the lead's best friend and rival though. So, his so called 'friend' just leaves _with _him to protect the village and gain some new power promised to fulfill his ambition." _Why the hell is it so easy to do this?? **Because you're comfortable. **_"The lead gets all upset and decides to follow, but he gets it handed to him real bad."_ But I barely know these people except for the one's I work with on the regular._ "After getting beaten like that, he goes home and opts for some serious training." _**You know Sasuke though. And he hasn't let go of you yet. **Point? _"So after all the training is done, you have to go out and search for him again, this time you have some friends you made in preparation though. All in all, it doesn't sound half bad to me. And I usually hate everything I do."

"Any idea for a release date?" someone asked rather eagerly.

"Ahh..."

"Sometime within the next year," Sasuke added. "It takes time to put together a video game, even longer if it is a combat-filled quest with multiple ending sequences."

"With what now?" Naruto whispered, careful not to let the mic catch it.

"I saw you didn't have an ending, just several ideas. We incorperated them all. So, now the player can make various choices that changees the game's outcome," the brunette explained, not caring who heard at all. Then the buzzing chatter broke out. It sounded kind of like the crowds you hear on computer games. You know, the ones that just repeat the same word sequences over and over? ((That's right like the kinds of crowds on the Tycoon games.))

Naruto just stood there, not knowing what to do next. _I feel so awkward now..._

"Come on," Sasuke offered, pulling him with the weight of his arm. Through the entire time he was up there, he didn't let go of the boy next to him. Once they were off the stage though, he was still holding on.

"You really can let go now 'Suke. I'm not scared anymore."

"I know." He didn't move though. He just put his free hand in his pocket and looked about his surroundings.

"Are you not moving?"

"Nope." He pushed down with his arm, adding a little pressure to his shoulders.

"Fine, you can stay, but don't do that. How am I going to flip in the air if my shoulders are all screwed up?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm going to convince Neji to teach that stuff. Sakura and Ino refuse, so he's the only other person."

_Oh great... Alright. Offencive mode Uchiha. You can do this. _"Why don't you ask Koishinobu then? Isn't she on the team?"

"Because she's a prick that doesn't want anything more than to bother me."

Sasuke frowned in contemplation. "Did you ever think that maybe she just wants to be friends?"

"No."

"Isn't that what you thought of _me_?"

"Yes, but that's different. You weren't in my ear all day trying to get my attention on some trivial matter that doesn't mean a thing to me. And usually, I would look at whatever someone is showing me, but it was always so irrelevent."

"Ah..." _You can't be out of ideas yet... _"What about Lee? He does martial arts too."

"But he does everything with that Gai guy. He'd probably drag him along for teaching advice I don't see him enough in gym. And... quite frankly I find the two of them together to be creepy."

"Why?"

"Alright look." Naruto somehow managed to wiggle his way out from under the dead weight of the other teen's arm. "They have the same haircut, freaky eyebrows and lashes. I bet if he could, Rock Lee would most definately _dress _like him too."

"Wow..." He had to laugh. He just had to. It was inevitable to at least giggle at the assumption. "You know, he's a cheer leader too."

"Yes I did. The only reason he's on the team though is because Sakura is. Don't laugh, you know it's true."

"Okay, okay. Why can't _I_ teach you? You know I do all that shit. You saw the trophies in the entrance hall."

"That's true too, but you would grab me in the air and wrestle me down."

"Come on!!" he managed between his laughter. "I wouldn't be that bad."

"_That _bad. It doesn't help now that I know you're _actually_--"

"Naru-chan!!" Hinata called from behind Sasuke.

He huffed out a sigh before answering her. "Yes??"

"Don't you want to hear what I was saying before?"

"...Not really!! I ... I have something to do!! Uh... Where's your cousin??"

"Where you all left him," she said pointing to the punch bowl.

"Thanks!" Sasuke watched him run over and start a very animated conversation with him. Giving in to his temptation to see what they were talking about, he slowly made his way over. "Really?" he heard the blonde cry out. "Oh that's so awesome!! You officially own Neji!!" And then he had the nerve to wrap his arms around his neck.

"What just happened?" Sasuke asked scornfully as he finally closed all the way in on them.

"He said he'll teach me 'Suke!!"

"I think it's a terrific idea," the Hyuuga said from his chair under the blonde. "He's so small, he needs to defend himself." He even gave him a pat on the back. "It looks really cool though too, right?"

"Isn't that great 'Suke??"

"Fan-_flippin'_- tastic." _You bastard... _Sasuke grit his teeth when he caught the smug look sent his way from his new arch rival.


	9. Medical Conditions

YAY!! Health Issues!! You still don't know what Sasuke's got hums

Sasu: Plan on telling?

Me: HAHAHAH!!! Of course!! No.

Sasu: Is it from shooting up?

Me: You aren't shooting up!!

Sasu: Then who is it?

Me: Yo Mama!! On with the story!!

_

* * *

__Chapter: 9- Medical Conditions_

"Hurry it up Uchiha!!" Naruto shouted as he pounded on the door. "I've gotta be there in half an hour!!"

"I'm coming," he mumbled through the door.

"What could you possibly be doing?" the blonde whined finally slumping against the barricade between them.

"I'm almost done. Promise." A thought struck him suddenly. "You said you don't come up here. Why don't you look around or something? One chance on the top floor and you're over here nagging me."

"Fine I'll go, but tell me what you're doing??" the blue-eyed boy begged.

"I'm checking medical records. I'm seeing if they made any advances on a certain drug. I do it every month. Figure I might as well get it over with since I'm here."

Naruto pushed himself off the floor and put on a slight scowl. "Alright. I'm leaving. I _will_ be back in five minutes at the most."

"Just go," the brunette huffed from the other room. The petite boy began his stride down he hall with a frown on his face and a stomp in his step.

"Lousy son of a... I'm going to be late for sure!! He's just dawdling away my time..." He kept storming down the long white hall, just complaining to himself about the Uchiha until he heard a voice behind him.

"Hey, it's spikey spunk blonde, un!!"

"Me?" the boy asked, turning around to see who would refer to him like that. White trenchcoat... long blonde hair... looks like a chick... says un... "Oh! Hello again sir," he said with a tiny smile.

"Sir? That's so formal. Here try this!" He offered a smile and raised a finger in the air. "Hi again Deidara, un."

"Do I have to say 'un' too?" he asked the older blonde giggling.

"I s'pose not. Tell me mini-blone, what have you been up to, un?"

"Not much. Just waiting for my cheuffer. It's time for him to start drivin' Miss Daisy!" He spread his arms and spun around in a circle. Not jst because it was fun... He was trying to freak the guy out, you know?

The man only chuckled though. "You're just a little ball of energy huh, un?"

"On the contrary. I'm really tired today," Naruto said, slumping his shoulders over a bit.

"Really? Why's that babe?"

Naruto twitched a bit, but he didn't take it as much. He's called his friends babe before. But... that was to make fun of them somehow... oh boy. "Just didn't sleep too well last night."

"Something bothering you?"

_Persistant huh?_ "No. I was just being kept up."

"Loud neighbors?"

_Does he ever stop smiling??_ "Kicking bed partner." _Yeah, and now I'm gonna smile back. This is starting to scare me a little._

"Partner huh? Well that means it's a guy doesn't it, un? Otherwise you would've just said girlfriend."

"It's my dog," he said, letting the lie slip out like he'd been doing it for years.

"Oh?" He blinked at him and moved a hand to his open mouth. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun. It wasn't right to make such an assumption right off the bat."

"It's alright." He shot him a sunny smile this time, clasping his hands behind him. "It's easy for people to quesion my sexuality. Being androgynous has its downsides too."

"I didn't think there were any good things to it. Care to help out another victim of poor hormones?"

_There's no hope for you. _"Sure."_ You just bent over and put your hands on your knees. _"Really it's all about how you embrace it." _Why are you even listening?_ "Like me. As of recent, I've been using it to get what I want from friends. That may sound... not good, but it's fun for everyone. Also, you can get away with doing some things that other guys just can't."

"Such as?"

"Well... you can blame random bouts of love or emotion on your hormonal imbalance. Also, you can _accidentally _run into someone without them going nuts because you're so cute. Unless their totally heartless like 'Suke. But that's besides the point. Being androgynous, you can be girly if you want just to annoy your friends. Weather or not that's a good thing for you, I don't know. I like it though."

"I beg that you don't mind my asking, but who's Skei, un?"

"Sasuke. He's my driver too."

"Sasuke?? Do you mean _Uchiha _Sasuke?" he said stressing his surname.

"Uh-huh. Why? You know him?"

"Well, I'm not s'posed to tell anyone, but h--"

"Dei!!" someone shouted from the room which he had emerged. "We need you in here now!! You're the only one that's good enough with containment procedures!!"

"I'm coming! I have to go. You have a nice day, un." The waved to him over his shoulder as he approached his door. Upon turning the knob though, one from across the hall opened.

"How many times do I have to tell you idiots over there?! You work with germs, I medication and equations for their production. Quit shouting dammit!!"

"We're sorry Hyuuga-san." Deidara started rubbing the back of his neck with a slight sweat on his brow. "It won't happen anymore, we promise. We'll be so quiet, you'll forget you even work with us at all."

"It's better." And he slammed the door shut, mumbling all the while about trenchcoat wearing freaks.

"Damn prick..." Deidara went into his workroom and shut the door. Naruto was still standing in the same spot facing the same direction.

"Oh my god..." Surprise. Disbelief. Uncertainty. All of those words could've told you how he felt at _that _moment. "He's... pretty? Him?? I _so_ have to make sure." He collected himself finally and waltzed over to where he had seen him disappear to. Knocking on the door twice, he let himself in. The boy at the table sighed in frustration and slammed his pen down.

"Why do you all insist on bothering me?!" he called from his chair. "I keep saying I'm busy and yet--!!"

"Ne...ji?" Said boy turned around in his swivel-chair and gazed at the blonde in his doorway.

"Naruto? Why are you in here?"

_He's not. Too busy staring just like you were. **Damn... why is all this happening to me now?? **_How could he not stare? He looked so gorgeous with his long chocolatly brown hair in a braid that trailed past the end of the seat. He had half-moon specticals perched on his nose to serve as magnification aids whilst reading his small text. He was even dressed different now. He was in a white labcoat, not like those freaks across the hall, and black oxford shoes. _He really is pretty..._

"I'm sorry... what? Who is?"

_I said that aloud?_ "Oh my god!" Naruto shouted over exagerating like a valley-girl. "It's deja vu... Did the same thing to 'Suke yesterday, only in reverse roles."

"Say what now??"

"You know, for a doctor, you aren't too bright." Neji frowned, but the blonde went on anyway, placing his hands on his hips. "I never knew you were the Hyuuga that handled the research and composition of drugs department. How come you never told me?"

"Because I'm not supposed to be. I can't be caught creating prescriptions and new medicines. If the government finds out that Uchiha Emprises and Hyuuga Estates are using children to do their work, we're shut down for good."

"Hyuuga Estates?" Naruto questioned as he watched his supervisor turn back around. "You guys own housing?"

"Mm-hm... Why? Need a place?"

"Ah... no," he lied. Neji turned around again, placing his pen down and removing his glasses. _Ohmigosh... pretty boy... _That one stayed in his head for sure.

"You sure? We could get you one you know. Maybe not for free, but at low cost." He saw him shift his weight from one foot to the other and rearranged his statement. "If your financial ends aren't meeting... I'm sure me and Sasuke could help you out. Talk to your parents maybe?"

That made it worse. "No really, I'm alright where I'm living." He gave up a smile to divert ay further questions. "So, I'm never on the top floor; is it any better than lobby duty?"

The long haired boy finally folded his glasses in entirity and placed them on his broad desk. "Not really. It gets very obnoxious, and when those lunatics aren't here, it's so tedious and lonely. I mean, yes, I need quiet for my job, but I hate to be by myself for_ that _long."

"You look like the kind of person who would embrace solitude to me." He wasn't being mean, Naruto was just intrigued.

"Yeah?" Neji asked, a little defensive. "Well you look like a little fifteen year old girl."

"Mm..." Naruto bit his lip and stared hard at his feet, placing his hands behind his back. "I'm sorry Neji. I didn't mean for it to sound that way."

_Damn it all!! Stop acting on impulse!! _"Don't be. I shouldn't have snapped back like that." _Damn right! You aren't going to get anywhere! _"I'm just... anxious is all."

"Why?" the blonde asked like a child as he sat down on the floor. He leaned up against the wall so that he wouldn't be in the way if the door opened.

"I don't know really." Neji reached for his glasses and put them back on, turning to his desk. "Might be because of Kank'."

"Did something happen?" His insight had turned off if he couldn't asnwer that qeuestion by himself.

"Yeah," the older boy sighed. "He left. Left for Inuzuka."

_Kiba?? What about Shino? Oh man... _"Did he say why?"

"He said that he wasn't feeling any connections between us anymore... something like that. He said I was defensive on a lot of things and that we weren't seeing each other much anymore. Che... sounds just like..." He trailed off. It wasn't _just_ his business to send around the world. He wasn't that hanus, he needed clearance before he said anything about that. It was against moral.

"Sasuke??"

"Hm?" _Maybe I should just not turn around anymore... _Neji finally decided not to since he'd be spinning the whole time he was going to have company. "You know about that?"

"He told me," Naruto chimed.

_So much for his morals. _"Really..."

"Yup. I mean it was really sweet how it happened, but the relations part kind of threw me off for a while. Regardless, even if he didn't tell me, I would've known. You gave him a blow job on a whim for God's sake."

"It was not a whim. I was desperate, and that's where it got me." He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "You have any idea how it feels to do that whenever you want and then just get cut off from it? Then, you meet someone else you really like, but it's nothing like that. I mean, me and Sasuke talked, but not like Kank' does. He really gets into feelings a lot more often than angsty ass ever would. I don't know how to handle it sometimes and just tell him to bug off. That gets me _no_where."

Naruto just stared at him. "Are you... Are you really sure that you want to be telling me this?"

"Does it harm your virgin ears?"

The blonde just shook his head, eyes still wide with shock. "Just surprised that you'd _want _to tell me."

"Why not?" He shrugged and placed his cheek in his hand. "You aren't telling anyone. Even if you did, they wouldn't believe you. Besides, I just don't feel like talking to Destiny again. Makes me feel odd..."

"Well... uhm... Destiny--?" the whiskered teen asked, scrunching up his nose at the unfamiliar name.

"Is my bird. When Tenten is nowhere to be found, I go up to the avery and call her down. She just sits on my finger with her head cocked and listens until I kiss it and get up." Neji sighed and placed his face in his hands. "Kind of sad that I'm reduced to talking to a dove, don't you think?"

"Not really. I talked to stuffed animals when I didn't have my notebook." Naruto smiled at him to encourage a lift in his spirits. Apparently, he succeeded beause he actually smiled back. It was small, but it was a smile.

"Naruto... How do you just accept anyone on the spot like that?" He just shrugged at his question. "Come on. I've been telling you that you aren't worth shit since we met in middle school. Why are you in here trying to make me feel better?"

"I dunno." Naruto let his eyes close half way as he followed a fly around the room. "Why shouldn't I? You've never hurt me physically. I have no reason not to."

"You're too forgiving. That's going to get you into trouble one day."

"No it isn't," a familiar voice said from the doorway. "If anything, it's going to get him by. It's all about kissing the boss's ass in the corporate world."

"What do you want Uchiha?" the dull teen asked, rolling his pale eyes at the unwanted guest.

Said boy just smiled in arrogance. "The records I need aren't in the database. I got redirected here. Show me? And then we can leave."

"Where're you going?" Neji asked. He was hysterical, you just couldn't tell. He left that to his chibi. If only... he was screaming and running around in panic in the confinds of his mind. That's scary.

"Taking him to work," Sasuke answered. "And the place is damn far. To make it without a car, he'd have to leave right away to get there exactly on time." He walked over to the table and grabbed a book. He fliped though it untill he apparently found what he was looking for. Stopping at that page, you could see his eyes move as he read its contents.

"How long is this going to take?" Naruto asked from his seat on the floor. "And how far is it from here?"

"Two minutes," Sasuke mumbled, barely moving his lips against his thoughts. "Ten minutes to the next place."

"Really??" the blonde asked, leaning forward a bit to make sure he had heard him properly. "Only ten minutes?"

"Only??" Sasuke repeated. "It really takes you the entire half hour to walk there?"

Naruto sighed miserably. "Yep... But I get a _little _slack from Ebisu."

Neji's turn. "Ebisu? Wasn't he like... the tutor for the mayor... well, old mayor's grandson?"

"Yes he is," the blonde replied. "And he isn't just the old mayor thank you. And yes, Ebisu is Konohamaru's tutor. Tsunade-baachan promised him nothing would change when she took over."

"Hey," Neji inquired. "You think all of our other principals were the mayors too?"

Sasuke actually tapped him in the back of his the head. "Don't get off task." Guess they _were_ close for Sasuke to hit him without retaliation.

"When did you get behind me?" the long haired boy asked, frowning and rubbing his abused cranium.

"When I finished reading. Ru, finish your story and come on. You should at least get a different outfit than your uniform first."

"Yeah, so Ebisu doesn't go nuts on me since I have blackmail on him, and he--" He stopped short after his brain had allowed him to catch up to what was said to him. "I should get a what now?"

"Well," Sasuke started. He thought it out before he finished. "You're coming back to my house aren't you? I mean, all your shit is there, and it's going to be really late. Plus, it would make sense to switch out your uniform for something else, wouldn't it?"

"But!! No... I... uh--" _Oh my god... How am I supposed to tell him this?! _Naruto was hysterical. If you couldn't tell before, his befuddling silence afterward was proof enough.

"Ru?" Sasuke called from across the room. "Are you alright? You _do _want to change your clothes don't you?"

"I do but... urm... Alright. I do want to change my clothes, but you have to swear not to follow me to my place."

"Why?" Sasuke wasn't really aware of what was going on. Why was he so paranoid about his place and family? It was like he just wanted to cut them all from his life.

"Because. There is only one road to get to the building. That is on the other side of town. There are a lot of allyways to take and get there quicker, but they're small. So... you might not fit anyway." _Liar. _"I'll just tell you where to dump me, and then all you have to do is wait."

Sasuke frowned at him. _Freak. Who gets that defensive about something so trivial? _"Yeah... That's fine. But, if you're going to be walking, we have to leave soon."

"Fine," the blonde said as he raised himself from the floor. He always did look springy. "You know Neji," he said while he started walking over, "you could just bring her here. As long as you kept it in a cage, you should be good since your office is isolated."

_Huh? _And the world-renouned Uchiha was lost in conversation again. Trying his best to pick it up, he stood there, watching the other two teens.

"Naruto," Neji asked, "how would you know that?"

"Unlike most people, I get _one_ day off. On that day, I choose to lounge around the house. Meaning, I get a little bored." Naruto gave them a second to catch up before he continued. "I actually read the regulations manual for this place before I started."

"You're lucky enough to have time to get bored, and you waste it on reading some shit like that?" Sasuke demanded. "What kind of kid are you?"

"Hey hipocrit," Neji said flatly as he turned to him. "Don't put him down over something so _stupid._ At least he isn't watching porn like you probably would."

"I would not!!" Sasuke shrieked as he flared up.

"Hey," Naruto called in pouting. "If you're gay, and you watch porn, that means it's_ gay _porn right? So why'd you have a problem with my yaoi?"

"I do not watch porn! Period!"

"Don't lie," Neji scolded. "You're the richest kid out there, and you're saying you don't spend your money to watch guys have hot and wild monkey sex?"

"Oh... My GOD!!" Since when did Neji talk like that? And since when did he get double teamed? Was he going nuts? Don't even think about asking CS, he blew out a few phrases ago. "How did we even get on this topic?"

"Don't try to avoid it 'Suke," Naruto teased. "Can you honestly say that you've _never_ watched porn?"

Sasuke blushed a little, but you'd have to be looking really hard to find it, even on his porcelin skin. "No... But I don't do it in my spare time!!"

"So then when?" Neji asked, gazing up at him from his chair.

"I-- No!! It doesn't--!! I... I don't!! AHH!!" He threw his hands in the air and brought them down on his raven covered head. "I do not watch porn. I've seen it _once_. Circumstances unknown to you shall remain as such. Stop asking. I don't do the whole... watch other people have fun thing like Naruto. Okay?!"

Said boy pouted. "Aww... I don't get the 'Ru' 'Suke?"

"No. You've been tantalizing me all day, and this isn't making it any better."

"Aww... But 'Suke!!" the blonde whined. "You don't know how fun it is!!"

"Yeah? Well, what I do is fun, and I get damned for it."

Now Naruto was the one flaring up in anger. "That's because it's wrong and immorale!!" He jabbed an accusitory finger of justice into the dark haired boy's stomach. "_That _is considered harrassment my stupid man." There was a twinge in his stomach and he went still for a heartbeat. _Just go. It's alright to give in sometimes,_ one of those people in his head said. **_Oh no... not now. Oh God-- Please!!_** He went slightly limp as the pain flooded through him again. This time worse than ever. _**It can't go that long... I can't risk passing out with this pain... It'll be hours... or... feel like it at least...** It really is okay. They won't say anything if they're your friends. **But--!!**_ He tried to argue back, but he was interrupted by an angrier person. _Just do it. You know you're going to. _And then the voices stopped. There was no more talking to himself as he went blind as if he'd fallen asleep.

Continuing since he couldn't hear Naruto's thoughts, Sasuke said, "I am _so_ not stupid Ru. I'm top of the sophomore class right now."

The blonde smirks? Guess he does, because he did it right up in Sasuke's face. "That shit will get you nowhere in the real world. Trust me."

"And how would you know anything about that?" he retorted, bearing his stare into the shorter one's.

"I do. Leave it at that." _I can at least keep the secrets secret, right? Right, I'm not that cold._

Sasuke actually pushed him off and turned away from the two of his friends. "What happened to the fidget, perturbed Uzumaki? I liked him better."

"Sorry, he left. Same thing happened this morning and afternoon too."

"Oh yeah, that's real funny Naruto." He rolled his eyes and grabbed his arm. "Now come on, you're going to be late if we don't get moving now."

But, Naruto just jerked his arm back and scowled at him. "I'm not kidding Uchiha. Or haven't you, of _all_ people, noticed?"

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, turning around in exhaustion from his childish antics. "And how do you get strong like that at random moments?"

"They aren't random." The blonde shrugged as he continued. "He just does a god job at keeping us in check until he passes out."

"Who does what now?" Neji asked, finally deciding to rejoin the freaky conversation.

The blue eyes found their way to his sitting form. They were sharp and seemed intent on something. "He passes out. Although... I_ will _argue that he doesn't make much of a 'he.' Does he?"

"Who?" both Sasuke and Neji asked him.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Naruto, dumb asses." He moved his blonde figure over to a chair in a corner that wasn't noticed before. Plopping down in it, he crossed his legs at the ankles and stretched out as far as he could. "Bunch of idiots he keeps in company." All of the sudden cute, lovible, squishy Naruto looked like he could rip someone's head off if he wanted to. "So... done staring? Or do I have to get up and close your mouths for you?"

Shaking his head, Sasuke opted to answer. "You're calling us the dumb asses? Did you_ forget _that you're Naruto? Because you sure as hell aren't acting like him right about now."

"That's because I'm _not_," the blue eyed boy sneered leaning forward in his chair. "For a while now, me and that nag Nikko have been fighting over who gets breath when his lights go dim. I won this time."

"And you are..?" Yup, Sasuke's really confused. Very confused. So confused that you couldn't even tell.

"Kityasha."

_He's lost it. I knew jumping him would make him stupid one day. _"Kit-ya-sha?"

"Yes," he said, leaning back in his chair and settling in.

"Neji," Sasuke barely whispered, "what the fuck is wrong with him?" Neji was fixed in a stare with blank eyes. Although... it was rather hard to tell that they were glazed over in shock since most people thought him to be blind already. "Hyuuga!!" Sasuke shook him hard on the shoulder.

"He's a schizophrenic," he replied, nodding faintly.

"A what?" Sasuke asked, staring at him in bewilderment.

"He's got schizonphrenia. I'm sure of it." He nodded again and picked up the booklet under the one Sasuke had tossed back on the desk. Flipping rapidly through its pages, Neji found what he was looking for. "Yeah. He has emotional issues in his case. I've seen a lot of people like this. They seem like their normal selves, but under certain conditions, a different personality may be dragged out to cover for them."

"And... why is he like this?" Sasuke pushed. "He was never a freak when we were kids."

"When we were_ kids._ We aren't anymore Sasuke. During your psychiatric help period, and my mental developement stages, we didn't see him much. We don't know what was going on, and you said later in high school that he was giving you a run for your money in those fights. Apparently, in those few years, he'd gone mentally unstable."

"You know," Kityasha interrupted, "Nikko and Naruto may not care, but _I _hate when people talk about us like we aren't here. If you seriously have a question, I'll answer it. Fighting with Nikko has started rubbing off on me." He turned his hand over and rested his cheek on his fingers. He uncrossed his legs and recrossed them, this time over each other at the thighs. If he had a pet, you'd think he was a super villian with that positioning.

Sasuke opened his mouth, but Neji hushed him. "Kityasha, right?" he started off. He probably knew how to handle this, he is a doctor after all. He had to know what he was doing. After recieving a nod, he continued. "Tell me, what's the difference between you and Nikko?"

"Psht!! That's easy." He waved a hand around in the air as he talked, making it seem as though he was going to be very in depth about it. "Nikko likes to whine and gets all emotional. I guess that's where all the pain and depression goes to. Whereas me? I get all the anger and hate. You could say we play the role of the good and bad conscience. Like on those old cartoons. You know, the little devil on one side, and the angel on the other?"

"Looks like you're the kidish side too," Sasuke commented. That got him a jab in the ribs from Neji.

Regardless, the long haired boy continued. "So... you talk to Nikko a lot?"

"More like shouting if you ask me," the blonde in the chair said. "We fight a lot when Naruto's still up and running. After a while though, we get bored of each other and try to help him out in the day. It's usually Nikko though; says I'm lazy."

"How does that work?"

"We just talk to him. Like... in his mind, you know? Sometimes, we switch off toward the end, and he flips out on me. It isn't nice... But he's been so depressed lately, he doesn't care what I say much anymore."

"Any reason why?" This wasn't just an investigasion now. Neji was actually concerned. This other side was an intirely different person. He said that they usually talk to Naruto. Not only that, but he was depressed? Why would someone so light-spirited as him be so sad?

"Well..." Kityasha genuinly seemed to be in thought. Well, it would make sense that he cares. He needs Naruto to stay alive, right? "I know. It's got to be his job. The other one I mean. He's always saying how he hates it, and the pain is getting worse. That's the only reason Nikko and I have been showing up so much lately."

"Alright, last question--"

"I don't know if we can make that," the steel-eyed boy said, glancing up at the clock. "Idiot is about to come back around. I feel him fighting for control again already."

"Just try: Does he know that you and Nikko can come out?"

"No. He just thinks we're voices in his head. And when we do come out, he thinks that he's passed out. Which he is, it's just... oh never mind. Don't tell him about us or he's screwed for good. Which means I am too." He plundered his foot into the floor to make his point more vivid. They nodded, and the whiskered boy leaned all the way back in the chair again. They watched as the icy, blue-grey eyes closed and the figure went limp. After a few seconds, it twitched, and cerulean blue eues opened slowly back to the world again.

"Naruto?" Sasuke called from across the room, unsure of what anything he knew was worth anymore.

"'Suke," he replied. He looked around a while before catching the clock and slumping again. "I didn't look before... so how long have I been out?"

Again, Sasuke motioned to answer, but Neji stopped him. "Five minutes. You passed out." Sasuke just stared at the older boy. Now why would he listen to that alter-ego and say something like that?

"I did?" Naruto groaned. "That's great. I never wanted someone to see me pass out. I couldn't help it this time though," he sighed. "Something kept telling me it was okay."

"It's alright," Neji crooned. "You didn't feel well, and your body couldn't take it."

"But..." Naruto squirmed a bit in his chair. "That doesn't bother you at all?"

"No. Why would it?" the pale eyed boy asked, cocking his head to look confused.

"Well... I was kind of arguing with someone, and then I just passed out." The blonde pulled up enough courage to look at him now. "Don't you think that's a bit odd?"

"Maybe," Neji replied to the desperate boy. "But, what can't be helped can't be helped." He shrugged and pulled his braid out in front of him. "Some things are just like that, you know?"

"But still..." Naruto pouted as he watched Neji take the braid out of his hair. When he was half way finished, the tiny boy started talking again. "You aren't going to tell anyone, are you?"

"What would make you think that?" Sasuke asked, surprised that he would ever assume something as such.

"I dunno," Naruto mumbled, twiddling his thumbs. "Blackmail maybe?"

Frowning, Sasuke started walking over to him. When he reached the chair across the room, he got down on one knee. "Look Uzumaki," he demanded, pulling the younger boy's chin to get his attention. "As unbelievable as it may sound, we really are your friends here. We aren't telling anyone anything or bashing you for something serious like that. We also aren't blackmailing you, otherwise, you would be hated by now. So stop trying to pity yourself, okay? It's very unbecoming for you."

Swatting his hand away, Naruto smiled. "Idiot. Always gotta make something a joke huh?"

"Yes, I've got to do it or you'll stay woebegone. That isn't good is it?"

"I 'spose not," he said smiling again. Being his normal self once more, he started swinging his feet a little, and Sasuke got up. Looking down at the smaller boy who seemed so happy, he smiled too.

"You know, you're really cute when you do that." The confused look Sasuke got made him explain himself. "I mean when you act like a little kid. Makes me happy for some reason... Don't let that get to your head, Uzumaki." He smirked at the blush he got in response and turned back around, making his way to Neji's side once more.

Neji scowled at him. "What?" He was kind of pissed that Sasuke actually had the gall to get up and comfort Naruto. He wondered how close they really were now.

"What am I supposed to do?" Sasuke asked. "In all seriousness, I've never dealt with a mental person."

"Eh... He's fine," Neji said as he started cleaning up his work area. "It isn't causing him any problems, so he's alright. You should just help him through his schedule like you promised him."

"Damn... You're right. We have to get going _now_." Turning around once more, he called to the blonde who was following the fly with his eyes again. "Ru! We have to go _ima _if you're getting clothes from your place and making it to work on time."

"Oh! That's right!" the tiny blonde exclaimed. He jumped from his seat and skidded over to where the two older boys were. "Thanks for keeping me company while I waited Neji. And... you look busy," he added a bit downcast.

Neji looked up from his briefcase and huffed out a sigh. Opening his arms he said, "Come on." Much obligedly, Naruto circle as much of his arms as he could around him and stayed that way for a few seconds. When they let go, there was a smile on both their faces.

"Alright Dobe," Sasuke called again. "Let's go. No more stalling dammit." He threw open the door open and stepped out, expecting the other boy to follow.

"Gee... He's mad," Naruto commented. He put a finger to his lip in thought. "I wonder why?"

"Who knows?" Neji sighed as he closed the locks on his suitcase. "He's always pissed at something, you just can't always tell."

"Really?"Neji nodded, evoking more thought from the smaller boy.

"You know," the Hyuuga started, "you should probably get going. He'll just get angrier if you don't listen right now."

"Why right now?"

Neji shrugged. "It's this medication he's taking. It gets into his head every month or so. Well... that's what he says anyway. I think it's just because he's homosexual. Most of us get like that."

"That's what he said too," Naruto whispered to himself.

"Excuse me?" Neji called, pulling off his jacket to place it on the coatrack.

"Nothing," the blonde rushed out. "I'm going to leave now, okay?"

"Bye Naruto," Neji said, concluding the conversation as the tiny boy skidded out the door. "He really is something. Wonder what's going to happen to him. Or, what already has to make him like that. His forgiving trait isn't such a good thing for someone with his appeal, but he gets really upset too. And that... Kityasha guy seems like he could kick anyone's ass all over. I'm not too sure about Nikko. Whoever that is, they sound like a real sweetcake. That can't be good at_ all_. Boy, Naruto's all kinds of messed up," he sighed. Pulling the door shut, Neji locked it behind him and glaced down the hall. He was able to catch the last bit of blonde hair as it rounded the corner to the elevators. "Good luck and godspeed."


	10. Night Charades

Sasuke you dummy!! Look what you did!! Messing around at the hospital... All this could've been avoided... So sad

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_Chapter: 10- Night Charades_

Sitting in the Lexus once more, Naruto gazed out the window. Not only was he feeling like shit, but he was being treated like it too. Other than the fact that he was giving him a ride, Sasuke was totally ignoring the boy in his passenger side seat. Naruto couldn't help but feel rejected in that situation.

_I wonder if it's because of what happened. Maybe my passing out scared him, and he thinks I have something contageous... _He solemnly began drowning himself in his thoughts until they were interrupted by a very sugary voice.

**_Why would you think that? Don't you think he's a good friend? _**Why not respond? Nobody was going to hear him, and as long as he wasn't speaking outloud, he couldn't be considered crazy, right?

_Not really... I mean, he was before everything that happened forever ago. But after that, I was trying my best to avoid him. After he caught me in the locker room that day after the gym hold-back, he started touching me like that. Like I wasn't already bad enough in there... He winced at the memory of that day before another voice cut in. This was the icy one that sounded more fierce and usually scared him out of his fear. Now, it was giving pushy advice. _

**What the hell Kid? You're gonna have to get over that day you know. There are other memories to dwell on than the bad ones. **

Oh yeah? Naruto spat back. Why don't you give me one then, Kityasha?? Something that doesn't put my hopes down like anything about Mom or Dad. Or about that bastard down at the Y??

**Gladly.** Naruto could only imagine what he would look like in thought. He had no idea what he would look like in person, but he had a hunch that he could be lanky and handsome. The perfect villain face, no? He chuckled at himself. **Got it, **Kityahsa said in his head. **The day you made friends with Inuzuka. That was good wasn't it?**

I guess you're right...

The sweet voice broke in again. **Of course he is! That day was wonderful, wasn't it? Don't you think it was nice that someone came over and offered to help other than an adult that had to?**

Yeah... It was pretty decent of him... Naruto was smiling again. It was still raining outside, and his reflection was distorted on the glass of the window, but he was happy. And it wasn't going to be interfered with this time either. The GPS was handling the directions to the alleyway that he needed, so he could continue his conversation in his head.

**See? Not everything is as bad as you think Hun. **

Nikko... Really, are you a guy or a girl? I'm dying to know.

You wouldn't be able to tell anyway Kid, Kityasha explained. **_Nikko's such a pansy, it wouldn't matter if it was a dude or a chick next to me. _**Naruto felt himself on the verge off laughter as he listened to his voice argue with each other over that one. They always made him feel better when he really needed it. Even though they creeped him out, they made him happy almost every time.

"What are you laughing at Dobe?" Sasuke cut in from next to him. The voices in his head stopped as Naruto turned to look at him.

_And he's being dirogatory... What the hell?? _"Huh?"

"You're over there giggling. It's kind of odd you know."

"Oh... sorry. I was comforting myself." He turned back to the window before continuing. "I'm sorry I disturbed your driving."

_**Kid!! Why didn't you try to make nice nice again? Didn't we just establish that he's a friend?** _

Not really... We said how he hurt me, and then we jumped to Kiba... Although, after a while, he did get a bit more easy on me. The fights dulled down a bit, and the molestation wasn't that bad later on. He always timed it so he stopped when the bell rung or something like that. I don't know...

**No... you're right Kid. He did ease up on you a while back. I'm sure of it because I used to have to help you out in those fights. **

Oh yeah. Thanks for that. I never really did say I appreciated it. You too Nikko. When you say stuff to me, it comes out kind of sad and people buzz off. You two aren't half bad.

**Aww... Thanks Hun!! **Nikko rejoiced.**_ If I could, I'd hug you!!_ **

You know Nikko, I always get a feeling that there's this imaginary person running around in my head giving the reactions to things that I can't. You seem a bit... uncaring in what comes out of what you say... That wouldn't happen to be you, would it?

Caught me guilty Hun!! When you can't say what you want, I do it for you up here. Kit's too lazy, so he just goes to sleep.

Is that so?

Damn straight! Kityasha declared. Feels so good to turn you over to someone else after a while. You know how happy I was when you got this person up here? I mean, it sucks that you felt so bad, but now, Nikko is like a bitchy blessing.

...A what??

Yeah!! Nikko cried. **_Since when do you get away with something like that?! _**Again, Naruto found himself laughing as the two attempted to settle their spat. Without prevailence though, he was the only one with justice done to his mood. That is, until Sasuke questioned him again.

"Why do you keep laughing like that??" the dark haired boy asked. "It's kind of freaky."

_Gee... thanks so much._ "Sorry," the blonde repeated, turning back to the window. Apparently, that's the only place he could look without being made fun of in some way. _I wonder why he's like this?_

Didn't Hatake-kun say it was like PMS-ing? Nikko offered.

Well, yeah, but that only applies if you're in a relationship. I mean, girls don't lash out for just any reason. It's always something going wrong with their boyfriend or what have you. Same thing went for Kiba and Shino. Right?

**What makes you so sure that he doesn't have a boyfriend? He's got fan-clubs; he's got fans. He has his pick.**

But I know him enough to know that he doesn't work like that. We do have to put on a front when other people are around, you know.

**Meaning?** Kityasha asked, completely confused.

_Meaning, if he had a boyfriend, he would keep that up all the time. He wouldn't be jumping me every chance he got. _

**Alright then smartass; What if he feels like he's in some kind of twisted relationship?**

He's lashing out on me. That can't be it.

**Oh come on Kid!! **Kityasha exclaimed exhasperatedly. **_You can't be serious?_ **

What now?

I live in your head, remember?? I know what you're thinking. Nikko pays attention during work, I pay attention during everything else.

You pay attention??

Come ond Kid... Gotta gimme some credit right? Anyway, you know he looks okay.

But... I'm not like that. I'm sure of it.

But you think he's got sex appeal, don't you?

Well... I guess, but...I wouldn't want him for a partner or anything...

Maybe, but he wants you. Like today, you were teasing him and you fucking kissed him Then, you went nuts on the bed. And since you're an idiot enough to listen to that whinning-- thing Nikko, you do other dumb shit that would imply interest and then hate. I could only assume that it makes him slightly unsure of things.

But that has nothing to do with a relationship.

Maybe you're the closest thing he's got right now. It does sound like the confusing girlfriend and boyfriend who doesn't know what to do.

And the whole car got quiet when his blush tinted his whole face in a sheet of red. It was quiet already, but now it was silent in his head as well. He had shut up his voices and turned out the lights.

"What is wrong with you??" Sasuke asked, staring in shock at the boy next to him. Why was he stopped? Oh, red light.

"Why do you keep asking me that?" Naruto asked a bit irritated.

"You keep like... It's...You're blushing and..." He sighed in frustration as he stumbled for the right words that needed to come out._ I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I'm just worried is all. I know that sounds like a total lie, but I really am... Yeah right!! Like anyone would believe I could even think something like that._

"Uchiha?" the blonde called from next to him. Wasn't Sasuke just talking to him? Why had he stopped so suddenly?

Hearing his surname again, the brunette looked at him. "You're mad at me?"

And the girlish blinking mechanism had been activated. "Huh?"

"Nothing... Naruto... Alright look. I'm not like Neji, so I'm just going to tell you..."

"...Tell me what?"

_Damn!! _Sasuke whispered to himself in his mind._ I can't do this... but I'm going to die if I don't!! Fuck..._

"Uchiha??"

Green light. "I'll tell you later, I have to concentrate on driving. It's hard if you're talking to someone."

"Oh... sure thing."_ As much as you were talking to me on the way this morning? That sounds real believable... And Kit says it's because-- Che. Everyone I know is an idiot..._

Is that so? Kityasha barked in his mind._** Well, as I see it, I've saved your ass on many the occasion thanks to tactical plans. I don't think I'm such an idiot as you are for not noticing that he's worried.** _

I'm sorry. Could you explain that? It sounded like you said he was worried...He doesn't have a reason to be worried anymore. We're in the car so no one is going to get me like he thinks. What would make you say that?

What was a subconscience person to do in that situation? He was just shouting that he was not an idiot, yet he threw himself into this obsticle. He didn't want to say it's because Sasuke knows about him and Nikko, but what could he give that would sound plausible enough to be accepted? Coming to a conclustion, Kityasha said, **_Because he isn't an idiot. He's picked up that you're very defensive about parental issues with your friends, but you refuse to speak on yours. That isn't normal, and he wants to know why._** Wouldn't it be nice to think like that under pressure...

_Kit... you're crazy. He isn't that kind of person. He wouldn't worry about something so trivial as that. _

**Why are you speaking so properly?! **Nikko barged in.

_And you would be refering to what exactly? _Nauto responded in total confusion.

_**You don't talk like that!! Especially by yourself or with Sasuke!! You curse... cuss... whatever!! -- without hesitation if he's around. You don't talk by yourself so... And you don't talk like that to begin with anyway. **_

Right... Why? Is it bad if I speak properly?

**No, but that's when you start to write your angst. You try to keep it really descriptive, and it's always free of grammatical errors. You're upset!! **

Nikko... How could you possibly know that?? If only he could wear the shock that he felt. Even if Nikko was in his head, that was a lot to determine on a detail like that. It was right, but weird as hell. How could anyone, even someone like that, know him enough and think so highlt of him at the same time?

**_I know, _**Nikko explained, _**because I care. It would make sense wouldn't it? Besides, all anyone would have to do is hang around you for a few hours to figure that one out. ** _

But... No one else has. That would scare me if someone did.

Why? Both Nikko and Kityasha asked in unison.

_That would mean that we were really close, wouldn't it? I don't want to be that close to anyone... It could get them in trouble, you know?_ And for some reason, his mind buddies decided not to answer. "Thought so," he mumbled out before closing his eyes against the cool glass of the window. The pitter pattering of the rain outside lulled him into a dreamless sleep for as long as time would allow. Even though it was just five minutes, it seemed like five hours to him since he hadn't slept at all the night before. And those five minutes were the most blissful of his day before he was shaken from his sleep by his driver.

"Come on Naruto," Sasuke pleaded. "I want to get you there so I can go home if you don't mind. I've spent the whole day with you at work already. Now get your ass up!!"

Groaning with his eyes still closed, Naruto unlocked his door. "Alright," he agreed still drowsy from his slumber. "Gimme... five minutes."

"Sure thing," the brunette agreed, thinking that he wasn't going to do well on his own the whole time. "You sure you don't want me to come?"

"I'm sure," he said waving the suggestion off with a sloppy flop of his arm. "I'll wake up soon enough. I'll be back." Before he could be questioned or stalled any longer, he comanded his feet to drag him into the small, dark alley. He'd walked through town this way countless times, so it wasn't anything new to him. After the jump-start of moving, his legs were able to direct themselves toward the Fox Empires apartment building. Once he kicked his way through the end of the littered alley, he was able to cast his disdainful gaze at the tall, arching tower.

_More like a prison than anything else, _he thought to himself. This time, there was no one to disagree with him either. Nikko and Kityasha had been tucked away for the night like they _usually _were. Sometimes they got out and interferred with delicate matters, but that was so rare he never considered the consequences of it happening again. Finally realizing that the building wasn't going to come crashing down with his glare alone, he forced himself to take those steps up the five flights of stairs. Sighing once he reached the top, he steadied himself on the railing. Not to his surpise, it gave way to his slight weight. Letting go and jumping with reflexes unknown to him, it crumbled and fell, smashing into the stairwell below it. _Shitty building..._

**_What? No thanks? _**Kityasha said, trying to act hurt.

_Sorry. Not used to you coming out at night you know. _

**Yeah, I'm going now. Nikko might come out though. Can't help you with that. **

It's okay, Naruto responded cheerily. I like talking to Nikko sometimes. I don't talk to anyone else in this building; they all think I'm crazy.

**They aren't far off. **

They don't need to know that though. Naruto reached his door as soon as he was sure that his inner-person had gone back to the dark confinds of his mind again. Lifting his foot up and reaching behind him, he dug his keys out of his sock. The way he saw it, it wasn't too smart to put them in your pocket. If someone like him could snatch your quarters, imagine what a professional could do. He only kept his wallet in his pocket, and it was the left one at that. It didn't hurt to try and outsmart them a little, right? Right. Naruto was smart, he just got nervous on the tests. Various reasons for that, but this isn't the time to linger on those things.

After scratching his ankle a few times, the keys were free, and he jammed the right one in the knob._ Wonder why I have so many... Oh well. Can't hurt to have access to some place, right? _Finally, the true Naruto was back. In his shitty apartment surrounded by shitty people in the shitty part of town, he was like the blonde messenger of happiness. Kicking his door shut with his foot, he quickly trotted to his bedroom in high spirits once more. So glad to be alone and without worry for a few minutes. Opening the top drawer, he pulled out his under clothes and tossed them on the bed. He crossed the tiny room, just big enough for his bed and dresser along with a few more choice items, and threw open his closet. Groaning, he cursed his 'medical' condition all the way to Hell. _What am I supposed to wear??_

((WITH SASUKE))

Sasuke sat in the driver's seat of his favorite car and slammed his head against the rest. He placed a hand over his face and groaned in dismay. He wasn't used to this kind of thing at all. Dealing with work, school, competitions, and his parents was normal. Now, he's got a schizophrenic freak riding around with him and driving him nuts. No one can take all that.One minute, he's happy-go-lucky normal Naruto-- all chipper and determained to lighten everyone up. The next, he's a lustful maniac that could kick your ass across town. When he doesn't want to hear you, he's miserable and distressed. He writes angst, but he's a nurse. He draws, but he's a grappler. He reads yaoi, but he's straight. What the fuck?

He ran his pale fingers through his brunette hair. With a shaky hand, Sasuke reached to open the driver's console. He sighed as he pulled out his old faithful pack of Newport's. Indeed, that was a hard habit to break, and now he was being put back on it. He pulled the lighter out from under a few papers and lit one. Putting the cigarette to his lips, he took a long drag before pulling it back down. He let the smoke whoosh out with another miserable sigh. After opening his eyes halfway, he watched the smoke mix with the other smells of the car. Not that you can watch that, but he could smell the change. The cinnamon scent of the blonde was disappearing, so he turned the car back on and opened his window. The smoke left in wispy swirls and danced with itself before dissolving into the night air.

After pulling on the filter with his lips again, he flicked a few ashes out of the window. "God... I'm really hating this right now," Sasuke said to himself. "I'm going to go insane because of this kid. One minute he wants to mock me, the next he's shouting his lungs out because I _thought _something suggestive. Who the hell does that? And now he's got this disease all the sudden that he apparently has no clue about. He won't let me see where he lives, he doesn't talk about his parents, he badgers me on mine... which makes no sense at all. Ugh..." Another drag. "This is gonna kill me if the cigarettes don't. It should be alright though, I haven't done it in a year or two, right? I'm not magically addicted again, right?" He nodded to himself and flicked his ashes again.

He gave up on the cigarette since he was relaxed again. He put it out before flinging it to the street then laying back in his seat. "What the hell is he doing? He said five minutes," he complained to himself. CS pouted and sat on the invisable floor with a frown clearly painted on. "Geez... Hurry up Uzumaki." Stating a surname reminded him of earlier. He put a hand on his face again and pulled his fingers down across his features. "I was trying to tell him before... and he called me Uchiha. I wonder why he's upset with me?? Let's see..." He pressed his lips together and leaned forward against the hard part of his steering wheel. His forehead was going to have impressions from the thread design which just happened to be his name of course. He didn't ask for it, it came with the car.

Sitting bolt-upright, he slammed a fist in his open palm. "Dammit!!" Sasuke shouted with frustration and hate in his eyes. "All I did was degrade him on the way here. Fuck!! That's what I get for paying attention. And then I told him a blatent lie that he no doubt caught." He sighed and sank in as far as he seat would let him. "I hate my life..." He brooded for maybe twenty seconds before rolling up his window and removing his keys.

Stepping out the door and slamming it shut, he pocketed his keys. "Wonder what Naruto is doing... Maybe he's on his way back already, and I'll catch him." He started his walk with a slow pace. No sense in rushing a shouting match, right? "I checked the GPS before I left... so the building is straight... And that's a very narrow alley..." He brooded for a second before shrugging. "I'm agile; I can do it." He wasn't lying either. He squeezed through the walls just as quickly as Naruto had. Only, Sasuke had to rotate his shoulders with every step to comply with his wish not to get stuck. He let out a puff of nervous breath when he made it to the end. "Thank God for that..." He dusted himself off and stared up at the building before him.

"Uh... Sasuke??"

"Ah!" He jumped just a little before turning around to see who had snuck up behind him. He tryed to school his mask of indifference on when he saw the shocked face of Naruto again. What? Oh no, you misunderstand. Sauke was not surprised. He was doing jumping jacks. Really. He doesn't get caught off gaurd like that. _Damn him..._

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you 'Suke." Naruto used his free hand to cover the chuckle that was escaping him. The other arms held his clothes to his chest in a bundle.

"I wasn't scared usuratonkachi..."

"Really?? I thought jumping in the air and screaming was scared." He slapped his hand against his forhead. "Guess I missed the news too. Must've been when the meaning of that was changed."

Now, Sasuke was in hyper-brood mood. He glared at Naruto, not only for using his joke, but also for using it on him. "I'm sorry to hear that. If you had caught it, you would know that Uchihas always get revenge. Hence forth why things are _always _at my disposal."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at him. That wasn't entirely platonic. "You do know I hate you, don't you??"

"Don't say things you don't mean, Dobe," he crooned, leaning forward to close the distance between them.

"You know... you're just a little too close there. How about you--" And he cut off. He stared off at the end of the one, narrow street that lead from his dump of a neighbor hood to the rest of civilization. There were lights... Someone was coming down here? Why? No one needs to be down here. And it wasn't a resident because if you lived there, you most definately didn't own a car.

"You alright?" Sasuke asked, shaking his shoulder a bit. "Naruto? Are you--?"

"Come on!" He grabbed Sasuke by the hand and pulled him with all his might toward the tall, rotting building.

Stumbling up the stairs after the small boy, Sasuke couldn't help but wonder. _What the hell is he running from? Any other time, he wouldn't want me near this building from the way he's been acting... _He watched in silence as Naruto fumbled with the lock. Usually, it went right in but...

"Ru... what's wrong??"

"Do me a favor Sasuke." The blonde turned to him with a look of pure seriousness and determination. "Keep quiet, and don't ask any quesions after this." Sasuke blinked at the sudden switch in moods. Was that Kityasha?? He bore into his eyes with his own obsidian pair. Nope. That was Naruto. His eyes were still warm and glee-inducing. But... Naruto doesn't get like this...

"Sasuke!!"

"Alright. But--"

"Go!!" Getting behind the taller teen, Naruto pushed with all his might and managed to direct Sasuke toward the closet by the bathroom. "Stay in here-- please?"

Looking up from his spot on the floor, Sasuke glared at him, buddle of clothes in hand. "Fine. But tell me: why am I in a closet?"

Naruto considered the thought of telling him everything. But that was too hasty for someone he just got back to being friends with... even if he was tossing him into his closet. "For your own good. Just trust me on that." Sasuke only glared at him as the door was shut on his face. All he could hear were muffled sounds of scurrying feet before the door opened up again. He heard voices, but that was it. He couldn't distinguish anything, and, since he couldn't get up, there was no improvision to be made.

((NORMAL))

_Kusokusokusokusokuso!! He would come right now-- wouldn't he?! Damn you... I thought we agreed on this... _The door clicked when the lock was unhitched by someone else. Naruto turned around as quickly as his body would allow. Staring at the figure in the door, he felt his heart stop a few times before any words could form in his mind. Each time he moved his lips, his chest caught, and he was sure he would feint. The pale man that practically ran his life had decided to show up today, at this moment. But why??

"Naruto-kun," the icy man called, as though he didn't see the boy in the middle of the room. Not getting a response, he welcomed himself into the small living space, stopping sheer centimeters from the blonde boy's nose. "Naruto-kun... why don't you greet me today?"

"You shouldn't be here," Naruto spat out, pulling his head back a bit before the man could try anything.

"But Naruto-kun, you shouldn't be here either." He used his hand to wrap his long fingers around Naruto's slender wrist and pull him closer. "How did you make it here anyway? The hospital is across town. Did _someone _drop you off?"

"Ech... No, Orochimaru-san. It's Saturday. I don't do anything for you." It's funny that he didn't try to pull away after being forced so close to someone.

"Tsk. You forget Naruto-kun. You don't do anything for my _clients_ on Saturday. Sunday is your only day off." He watched the tiny boy squirm a bit beforing swallowing hard pass the lump in his throat. "Don't worry, I won't do anything today," Orochimaru whispered, running his hand down Naruto's back. "Unless you want me to."

"Orochimaru-san... I... You know..." Either way, our blonde was screwed.

"What's that?? Oh, you aren't going to tell me no? Then it's okay?" Naruto felt himself start to cry when the cold hand dipped under his pants yet again. It wasn't ever fair. Orochimaru always worded it so that he couldn't get out. If ever Naruto told him no, he would get punished. If someone else heard it and announced it, it would be done publically. Neither was a good option. But, neither was this...

"Orochi...Chan." Naruto bit his lip in a sad attempt to bite back whimpers of regret.

"Oh? Is it really that important?" the man asked before using is abnormally long tongue to lick a tanned cheek. After recieving a nod, he stood up a little and moved his hands to the slender shoulders. "Tell me, what is it love? I hate to have you indispossed for the week."

_I hate you, that's what... _He couldn't say that. He was originally going to tell him that he was expecting someone, but that would just mean more trouble. Switching choices quickly in what was maybe a second, this came out. "Why are you here? Can't you at least tell me why you're coming in my apartment when I'm not home?"

"Because I was looking for something. I think I might have left my pager here last time I visited, remember? I was just coming to retrieve it so you weren't being hindered of sleep in the night." A smile played its way across his lips when he saw the look of shame on the whiskered face. "You know Naruto-kun, I called it quite a few times during the day when I was sure you'd be here. Why didn't you pick up? You weren't _busy,_ were you?"

"Ah! G-gomen... I wasn't here."

"Hm?" Orochimaru restored himself to full height and went to sit on the low couch some few feet away. He patted the cusion next to him, waiting for the boy to join him. When he did, he sat half an arms length away. So, the tall man pulled him closer and wrapped his arm around his waist, laying it to rest ontop of his thigh.

Naruto just sat with his head bowed and his hands in his lap. When he felt the hand's thumb start to caress him, he decided to ask. "What is it... Oro... Chan?" _I hate this!! I hate it with every ounce there is in me plus whatever someone else ever felt ten fold..._

"Why weren't you here, Naruto-kun? I might've wanted to check up on you." He used his hand to brush the fallen hair from the tiny teen's eyes. "If someone didn't come get you, where had you gone?"

"I went to a friend's house. That's all." No use in lying right?

"Which friend? You never talk about any of them for me to distinguish weather or not I approve."

"Just a friend. You don't know him." Yeah right. Who doesn't know Uchiha Sasuke?

"But Naruto-kun, you wouldn't go to just a friend's house. You aren't that trusting a person you know," Orochimaru said, carressing his cheek like all that was dear to him.

"Wonder why?" Naruto scoffed, turning his head in an abrupt attempt to escape his grasp.

"Hey." He grabbed his chin quite forcfully this time. So much, that his lips were starting to smoosh into the classical child's fishy-face. Ignoring the whomper of pain like he usually did, the man pressed on. "Keep one thing straight imprudent boy. This is your fault and yours alone. You wouldn't get into things like this if you had learned o keep your mouth shut when the time served."

"Mm..." Low blow. That one was way under the belt. Salty tears ran down hs tanned cheeks without him ever realizing that thet had begun. The thin fingers on his face stopped them and averted their paths to irregular shapes and lines. "You know," he managed to choke out through broken sobbs, "you still haven't told me how you know about that. You weren't there. Who told you?"

Naruto withered when a sickening sneer made its way onto Orochimaru's features. "You forget again," he snickered, using his free hand to push back a lock or ebony hair that had fallen in his eyes. "I practically run the city. If I don't order it, I still get reports on everything that happens."

"I hate you." _What the hell am I saying?! That's taboo for sure... Damn. I really don't need another mark somewhere._

A chuckle made its way from the pale man's throat. "I love you."

A sharp intake of breath was heard before he tried to speak his words of utter confusion. Tried. He was stopped when the ivory lips where pressed to his suddenly ghostly set. That wasn't normal. That statement had thoroughly chilled him if it had drained his face like that.

When he was let go of, he bit back the tears that were spilling over his whiskered cheeks with no success. Gnawing on his broken lip again, he tasted blood. Maybe he tasted it too. Whenever he kissed him. He did it so often... he'd had to have caught the notice if he cared enough. _But... he doesn't. I know he doesn't. Everything he says is a lie unless he has that one look. Just the one. The one that Tousan has when he brings me groceries._

"You really shouldn't say things you don't mean, Orochimaru-san. It hurts people when you do that."

"But I do mean it. Who says something like that and doesn't?"

Downcast again, Naruto barely muttered his words. "Just a friend..."

Orochimaru left with one more chaste kiss that night.


	11. Misunderstandings and Dresses

Let me just put this out there-- _**NARUTO IS NOT HOMOSEXUALLY ORIENTED. I SWEAR.**_ He really isn't in this story. He just doesn't mind Sasuke ravishing him... Or wearing a dress for two jobs... Sounds odd right? XP Eh, you'll get it sooner or later. There is no bisexuality in him either... PROMISE.

Oh, Teme and teme... Naruto switches off often. He's either just calling him a bastard OR he's calling him Bastard in recognition of the name. Make sense? You'll catch on if you haven't already.

Anywho... You have to remember that it's still saterday in this thing... yyyyyyyeah... The other days will go much quicker, I promise, but I needed some things to just, you know, get out there. Lucky me, got it in twelve chapters-- yes, twelve. It might go through to thirteen though...

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Chapter: 11- Misunderstandings and Frilly Dresses

Finally, the door was opened, and a certain, very cramped Uchiha stumbled out. After gaining his composure somewhat, he turned around and tossed the bundle of clothes he'd been forced to hold at Naruto.

"What the hell?!" he shouted at the shorter boy who hadn't bothered to catch his belongings. Sasuke didn't notice. "You know, I'm too tall to be playing games like this Uzumaki!! Believe it or not, I tried to refrained from becoming a contortionist on purpose!!"

"Sorry," was the solitary word that Naruto managed to murmer. He had to whisper so that his sobs weren't detected. The last thing he wanted now was more false feeling.

Too late. After he cooled down a bit, Sasuke picked up the broken cries that were escaping from the shaking boy's lips. Feeling insanly stupid for not noticing sooner, he mentally kicked himself. That means CS threw himself into wall after wall, bashing his skull until it was flat.

"Ru?" Why not use the nickname? It sounds more intimate and caring. He took the slowing of the sobs as a response. "Ru... Are you okay?" he asked, careful not to get too close to him. He was pretty sure that if he got close enough, Naruto would turn and run down that hallway and out the door.

"No." Sasuke was shocked. He actually said no?

"Ru? What's wrong?" He took a few more steps closer until he saw the blonde take a small one back. "At least look at me?" So he did. And that was a horrid sight. Just looking at a face so hurt and disturbed could send any stoic man into depression. The puddle of tears was collecting larger beneath him, and he just kept adding to it. The sadness he was trying to pour out in the form of crying must've been overwhelming if he was sent into a state of such hysteria.

"Ru... I'm not going to hurt you." Bum rush. Sasuke coughed at the sudden impact and balanced himself on a nearby wall. Almost immediately he felt his shirt being soaked through with salty tears again. "Naruto, what happened?" he inquired. "I mean, I heard a little, but--"

"Just hold me."

"Huh?"

"I don't want just a friend. Prove that you aren't? Please?"

Still having no clue what he was talking about, he wrapped his arms around him regardless. "Alright. If it makes you feel any better, I'll hold you all night. Just let me sit down?"

"Thank you," Naruto barely whispered after they had settled themselves on the floor. And so, they sat there until Naruto had finished purging out his angst and remorse. Once he had, some ten minutes later, he sat up, arms still around his elder and still sitting in his lap. That's embarrassing. Using the sleeve of Sasuke's jacket, since he hadn't worn one, he wiped the residue of his tears from his cheeks and smiled to himself. So Sasuke really was a friend. That's a great thing to know.

He laughed a little when the 'sleeping' teen stirred and pulled him back down into his arms again. "I know you're awake 'Suke."

Said Uchiha cracked open an eye and pouted. "Doesn't mean I want to be," he retorted. "I was very comfortable before you got up thanks."

"Well that's all swell and dandy, but I have to go to work."

"Why?" Sasuke whined. "It's not like you want to go, right?"

"Come on. I'm totally off for good tomorrow. You can make it through one night bored, can't you?"

"Mm..." He looked up for a bit as though in thought. "Nope." And so he squeezed him closer.

"Come on 'Suke," Naruto giggled. "I really do have to go. My rent is due this week."

"Then I'll pay it."

"No thank you," the blonde said rather flatly. "Now let go so we can get out of this shitty place."

"First, I'm not holding you here ((he really wasn't)). Second," this time he raised a finger, "it's not as bad as you made it out to be."

"Well, that's great. Come on now, we have to get going."

Irritated at the blonde missing the hidden point, Sasuke went on. "But I don't want to."

"Why?" Naruto couldn't believe how much of a brat he was being. Did he really have to act like a five year old all of the time? "Why do you insist on staying in this crappy place and making me miss work?"

"Because you work too much..."

And he was blinking in shock and confusion again. "I... do? What would even make you think that?"

"I was in the database at the hospital- you're there every day. I kind of run the student council- for SAT hours, you're at the police academy. And now I find out that you're working at some ramen house too. Not to mention whatever your other job is because I'm sure you have one."

"But--"

"If you're working tonight, I'm coming with you. And you _are_ staying at my place since you have off tomorrow." He looked at his blonde friend with absolute assertiveness that said he would listen and go along quietly. Apparently, he was wrong. He watched in horror as he started to well up with tears again, this time chewing on his bottom lip in the process. Oh, Jesus...

"D-don't cry Dobe!!" he frantically shouted. "Ano... you don't have to go if you don't want!! Really!"

"WAAAHH!!! 'Suke-Chan!!!"

"I'm sorry what?" Where did that come from exactly? Hm? And when was the chan part added?

Well, guess he'd have to wait for an answer. Naruto threw himself back ontop of his brunette comrade with full force. "I'm so glad we made up!!" he said between edgy breaths.

"You... are?"

"YEEEEEESS!!! It's only been two days, and I already love you again!!"

"Again huh?"

"YES!!" The blonde squeezed tighter, only making the mess of limbs more jumbled. "We were best friends remember? I sososososososoooooo missed you!! You have no clue how happy I was when you came back from that other school!" He looked up for a second. "Although you did result to mauling me... and molesting me... Oh whatever." Again, the brunette found himself constricted.

"Alright... Ru-- too much!!" Choking wasn't fun. Neither was having your windpipe strangled. Oh, that's the same thing?? Sorry, lack of oxygen. "Na... ru... just-- **let go dammit!!**"

"Eh? Oh! I'm sorry Sasuke!!" He eased up a bit. The woosh of incoming air was almost visible around them.

"Alright. What was the otaku attack for? Last time I checked, you weren't one of my fan girls." He said that with utter seriousness. So serious that his face held no lines.

"Uh..." Naruto just stared at him. Not even he himself was that naive. Wasn't it impossible for someone else to be? "You are kidding right?"

"No."

"Ugh." Naruto groaned as he buried his face in the crook of the broad shoulder provided to him. "You know, for highest marks, you're an idiot. I thought you'd be smart enough to pick it up by now."

Let's weigh our options here: look like a complete idiot, possibly hurt his feelings... let's go out on a limb shall we? "You mean about being by yourself? I definitely noticed that. I mean, everything's there to imply it."

Moment of truth. Was he an idiot for saying it? Or would he be an idiot for not saying it in the first place? Well, this is what Naruto said.

"You noticed?" he grumbled into his shoulder. "Tell me, what gave it away? My scattered nothingness? Or the fact that nobody was here?"

"Neither," he said mixed in with his sigh of relief. "It's the fact that you don't have equals here. You have maybe two plates in that cabinet, two mugs." His eye twitched a bit. "Two towels that fell on me in the closet... But besides all that. You've got one chair at the table. Normal people don't have doubles and then just one thing like _that._"

Naruto sat there for a minute. Not only had he just thoroughly explained why it was obvious that he was alone, but he'd figured that all out in the few seconds he was allowed to look at the apartment. He had to have been looking around with precise determination to get all that. But still...

"That wasn't what I meant... although it would lead to it--"

"Don't worry, I caught that too. I care. I care enough to sit in a shithole while you cry and ruin another of my shirts. Also, I pick up small things in a set amount of time because I wanted to be critical of your home. Is that it?" He got a single nod. "Guessed as much."

Naruto put his face back in the shoulder again. "Sasuke, let me ask. Why **do** you care so much?"

"Why?" He let his hand come to rest on the blonde head in front of his chest and gazed up at the ceiling. "That's not hard Dobe. It's because you were my best friend. I never stopped caring you know, especially after you showed up with stitches in your face like that. But... I guess I always thought you were willing to be my punching bag. You always provoked everything until that day I jumped you at the gym hold back. But... No, I can't explain myself there. Just... accept that I'm sorry?"

Naruto sat up again. And stared. And stared. And blinked. And gazed. See a pattern in these people? Staring is like a sport to them, I swear. "Sasuke," he finally started.

"Hm?"

"If you say sorry I'll forgive you about almost anything, including that."

"Why would you take something like that so lightly?" Yeah, really.

"Oh, believe me, it's a big offence on your part, but I know you can't help it."

"Moron," the older boy said, giving him a playful punch.

Naruto flashed him a toothy grin before a certain thought hit him. "Hey, did you hear what was going on out here?"

A little taken back, but he was still ready to answer. "Not really. I mean, I heard voices, but I couldn't get words… Why? Is that what made you cry?"

"Yeah… But that's over with! Come on, I have to get to work, m'kay?" He stood up, grabbing his friend by the sleeve in the process. Reluctant to move, he had to get up this time. Naruto didn't think he'd go along that easily, so he pulled with extra force, and that only resulted in them falling to the floor in another tangled mess of limbs.

"I'm sorry 'Suke!" the blonde said from his spot underneath him on the floor; "Really, I didn't mean to pull you that hard!! I thought—"

"Doushite... Why are you talking?"

"Excuse me?"

"Shut-up," the brunette said plain and simple. And as if it were as normal as day and night, he dropped his mouth on the other boy's. You'd think the first thing he would do is panic. Wrong. Naruto just sat there, pinned to the ground and let Sasuke lap at his lips. Soon enough, the 'stoic' teen let out a groan. "Why do you do this?"

"What did I do now?" Naruto groaned right back after Sasuke lifted his lips. He wasn't sad he got off, just that he was getting scolded again.

"Why can't you just _once_ let me get inside?" Sad that he's asking, isn't it?

"'Suke... Don't ask me that question."

"But why? And who was the guy that came in here?"

"I thought you didn't hear anything?" he cried horror-stricken.

_Aww... shit... you can fix this... _"I didn't, but I know someone was in here. I said I heard voices remember? That's a plural duh."

"Oh..."

"So? You have to answer one of those questions or I refuse to move."

_Dammit... I wish I had help right about now... Oh wait!! I do! _He put on the poutiest face he could and stared up at Sasuke. _Help me out Nikko??_

**_OH! So gladly I will!!_** was the response he got. Two seconds later, he had the saddest eyes imaginable and the whinniest voice that this natural world could muster. His eyes were darker with remorse now too.

"What is this??" Sasuke asked, irritation plainly visible on his features.

"Sasuke, why are you being so forceful now??" Naruto hucked out.

"W-What??"

"You're being a brute all of the sudden; trying to force me into things I don't want to do!!"

"R-Ru... You _know _it's not like that."

_Oh God, it's working!! You're awesome Nikko!! _

_**Oh thank you!!**_

"Sasuke, why are you doing this now? I thought you were my friend again? I thought you were my _best _friend again. What happened?" He laughed himself silly in his mind when he was Sasuke swallow hard.

_I can't tell him I know about those two so I can't tell him to stop it... _"Ru... I'm not forcing you to do anything," he said, trying to make his voice sound angry. He had succeeded if the glimpse of terror that shot across Naruto's face was any indication. "But... you know I could if I really wanted to."

Now it was Naruto's turn to gulp. "W... what?"

"With the position you're in," Sasuke said, shifing his hips a bit so that he was straddling him, "I can very easily manipulate you. You _made_ it sound like I was raping you in the first place. So I don't see why I don't do that now." _Dammit, this has to work!_

"S-Sasuke!!" Nikko was gone now. His mind partner had 'run off' screaming sorries out the entire time. "You can't really maean that!!" And now he was panicing.

"And why can't I?" he said smugly. "It's not like it'd be anything hard. You're already making me out to be the bad guy when I didn't do anything. Might as well live up to the title, hm?"

"B-b-b-but!! Sasuke!! You can't do that!!"

"Then tell me what it is Ru!!" Sasuke pleaded, face softening into genuine worry through a rather quick transition. "Tell me _some_thing!! Everytime I ask a question that I _need_ to know, you blow it off!! Why won't you tell me _any_thing??"

"Is that why... Did you just... You really did hear it didn't you?" he realized for sure. His hand was shaky as he pulled it out from under Sasuke's grip and brought it to his forehead. It was cool but damp under his touch. Groaning he pulled it back down.

"Look, I..." Sasuke let out a sigh as he sat up out of the blonde's face. "Ru-- yes. I heard it; couldn't catch his name for some reason though. But I don't get what the hell is going on at all!! And... It sounded like I knew that person from somewhere... and not just a social gathering by my father either." He contemplated it for a moment or two before turning back to his friend. "Just tell me what the hell it is?"

"'Suke...I--" He bit his lip again then yelped out in pain before letting it go. He forgot he'd been assulting it so much lately. That's a bad sign. "'Suke... I wish I could tell you, _really _wish!! But-- I just can't right now."

"Then when can you?" Sasuke groaned. He put his fingers in the hair by Naruto's ears and fisted it, bringing his forehead down on the other boy's. Cold sweat again.

Naruto smiled. "I'm hoping it's sometime soon."

"What? Why?"

"Because I _want_ you to know. I don't know why, but I do."

"And that just makes me feel _so _much better. Great to know that you can't even think up a reason for me."

"Asshole."

"Am not," Sasuke replied before bringing his lips back down on his friend.

"Alright, come on," Naruto said after he got up again. "No more distractions. I'm going to work dammit."

"Mmm... Okay." Sasuke stood and offered a hand. "This time, we won't fall over agian."

"Oh, you're so funny."

"I know. Now come on, I don't want to hear you complaining to your employer the entire time."

"Asshole," Naruto laughed.

"Am not."

"Na--ru--KOOOOO!!" The blonde boy cringed when he heard his stage-name be called like that as soon as he walked into the shop.

Laughing nervously he said, "Y-yes Ebisu-_sama_?"

"Don't you **dare **-sama me right now you little yellow spot!!" Naruto closed his eye when a glob of saliva landed on his cheek. _Eww..._

"But, Ebisu-sama!! I'm not that late!! Really!!"

"REALLY?!" Sasuke sat in a far corner away from all the commotion. He didn't want earplugs as soon as he got used to _not _using them. It was just recently that Itachi left, so he only stopped using them a few months ago. Before, they had shared a room, and even after Sasuke was moved across the hall, he could still hear his brother's obnoxious snores. That was Hell in itself.

"Really!!" Naruto insisted. "It's only--" he turned to the clock "--five minutes!!"

"Five minutes more than usual!!"

"Oh... really?"

"YES REALLY YOU BLOCK HEAD!!" Naruto was going to need some serious bathing after tonight. "YOU'RE STARTING WORK WITH THE DISHES!! GET, NOW!!"

The blonde boy sighed. "Yes sir," he mumbled as he made his way to the back, grabbing an apron on the way. "Freaking _perverted _old man... Yelling at me like that." Ebisu retired to his office after that. "Thought so," Naruto said cheerily to himself as he tied the apron around him. He disppeared into the back through two doors.

Sasuke sighed outloud from his table. _This is wonderful,_ he thought grimly. _I've got to sit and wait while he has fun with his friends back there. That's awesome._

It wasn't really all that awesome for the blonde once he had made it to the back though. He was bombarded with giggles and questions as soon as the doors had shut behind him. As expected, two of his four co-workers wanted to know about his friend. These two: Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino. Yoko… didn't seem all that interested, but she never really did anyway.

"Naruto!!" the pink blob gushed. "Is that really Sasuke-kun out there?!"

"Naruto!!" it's pale yellow compainion squealed. "Tell us!! Unlike her I could never mistake Sasuke-kun!!" She got a look for that one. "Why's he here? You were out there right?!" Naruto wasn't feeling too comfortable right about now. Those two were so overly excited that they glowed with a demonic aura. Though their voices were high pitched and giddy, he heard maniacal laughter and doom. Finally noticing that he was backing up to the door again, Naruto turned to open it. Bad move.

Instead, the door opened into his face; knocking him over so that he just missed hitting the back of his head on a nearby counter. "Oh my gosh!!" his assaulter yelled. "Niichan are you okay?!"

Oh great. He groaned as he pushed himself up. Only one incredably persistant person called him that. "I'm fine Koishinobu," he stated putting up a hand while the other caressed the back of his head. "Don't come any closer, please."

"But I knocked you over!! Don't you think I should at least see if you're alright?" the pink-eyed girl asked hopefully.

"No."

"Aww... But Niichan!! I'm indebted to you!! It's my job anyway!!"

"Koishinobu--"

"Why don't you call me Yamiko anymore?!" she pouted, stamping her foot in the doorway.

"Because you annoy me now," he said in a very blunt tone, making his way over to the sink.

"But we grew up together!! I thought you liked me Niichan?" she pressed on, following him to the sink. She clearly missed where he had hinted her to drop the subject. And they both missed the other two girls head out of the kitchen quietly.

"Alright then, _Yamiko_. That was when we were kids. And you have an older brother. Stop calling me that!"

"But Niichan!!" She tossed her black hair over her shoulder so she could put it in a pony-tail. "You're more my brother than Khris is!! Like I said, I grew up with you!! You always stopped those bullies, helped me out... Why are you being so distant now? Ever since high school started you've been so... so..."

"Just leave it alone Koishinobu..." he said in a cracked whisper. "I know how I'm being. I have a reason. All you need to know is that it truely is for your own good." He smiled at her admist his aching pain at the moment. "I've never lied to you, ne?"

The girl that so promptly called him her brother just balled her hands into fists at her side. "And I've never hit anyone before." Naruto didn't have time to respond before the travling sting of her palm began spreading through his cheek. "I'll believe you, but that was for not telling me before and making me think I'd done something to upset you." She too walked out.

Sighing in dismay, Naruto braced himself on the sink. He really hadn't planned on telling her that at all. But, that pain was getting so bad. It was starting to make him more and more impulsive so that people couldn't watch. At the rate it was going, he'd need a doctor soon. Then again, where would he go? Knowing that Neji was pretty much head of that hospital killed any idea of going there. And he didn't know any other clinic in the town that the Hyuuga's didn't own. He winced again as pain shot through him.

**_You know you can let it go, right Hun?_** Nikko offered from the back of his mind. **_I know I didn't help out much last time, but I'm sure I'm right now._**

"It's not like I can put up much of a fight anymore," he said aloud. Smiling to himself, he watched as that familiar blanket of dark pulled itself over his eyes again.

"Good thing he was braced on the sink!!" Nikko cheered with a jerk. "That would've been a nasty fall there." Looking around for a brief moment, Nikko thought. "Alright! I can't let anyone know, so for now, I'm Uzumaki Naruto! He's out for a good while anyway," the alternate conscience said with a smile. "First things first, right? He had dishes so I guess I should do those..." As soon as 'Naruto' had made it to the sink however, he was called out to the front again. With a pleasant smile he popped his head through the doors and looked outside for the boss.

"Are you dressed yet?" Ebisu whispered. "We have a lot of customers tonight, and we're going to need your help. This is the one night that we serve more than just ramen you know."

"But, who's going to do all the extra dishes then?" Naruto quirked.

"Your friend over there said he would so that you can stay out on the floor." The blonde looked over in the direction that the man had pointed. He couldn't surpress the giggle that was wiggling through his lips. Poor Sasuke was surrounded by girls. Some guys were mixed in there too. Apparently, he sat too close to the window, and everyone coming from the mall came in. That's most likely why he was so willing to do the work.

"It's a good thing that you say people can't stay unless they order something, huh?" the blue-eyed boy laughed.

"Indeed. Now, go put on your uniform so that you can start waitress-ing."

"Sure thing," was the reply he gave before retreating to the back; grabbing something off a hanger then making it to the employees' restroom. Closing the door behind him, he laid the waitress' uniform on the sink and sat down on the toilet for a second. "Oh man... I hope he comes around soon. I don't want to go around wearing that!!"

_You'd be so perfect for the job though,_ Kityasha implyed.

_**Shut up!! And how is it that you can come out when I'm in control, but I can't do that when it's you?**_

_'Cause I'm better. Now stop pouting and just wait. Kid's almost up._

The blonde in the bathroom just pouted and crossed its arms. Waiting wasn't fun for any of the Naruto's. So the wait that Nikko went through was only annoying. And Kityasha will agree that Nikko was not easily annoyed save for him. After about two minutes, the tug that meant the _real_ Naruto was coming back started tugging in their mind. With a sigh of relief, he was back in control. But, he was in the bathroom, with his uniform...

"Must've been Sasuke," he said shrugging. "Why would he be back here though?" Shaking his head, he decided not to ponder on it too long and that it was best for him to put on his 'uniform.' With a groan of disdain, he slipped out of the outfit Sasuke had given him and wiggled his way into the panties and padded push-up bra ((he didn't need to stuff it because he was fit and had muscles for his size)). He had little dress shoes and knee-socks as well. As for the dress, everyone's was the same: short poofy sleeves, short poofy skirt, and apron tied around the back with an enormous bow. Everyone got theirs for the same reason too. Secret out: Ebisu is a perv. Naruto got the job because Yamiko had suggested him, and the other two girls had backed him up. But, from the way Ebisu had looked at him from behind his sunglasses, Naruto was sure he wouldn't have gotten the job if he wasn't pretty. Looking at himself in the mirror, Naruto was kind of sorry that he had brought Sasuke along now.

Regardless, he wet his hair in the sink and went through it with the brush on top of the table in the corner. Unlike most public bathrooms, this one was clean since it was mainly used by a bunch of high school girls, and there were only four of them anyway. Needless to say, it was perfectly fine to use a brush laying around in there. Staring, he realized his hair was already longer than it looked when it wasn't wet. After he'd finished taking out any knots from keeping his hair in spikes, Naruto used the hair-ties he kept in the front pocket of his apron to give himself two pony-tails. Glaring into the mirror he noticed that his hair was definately longer from the last time he'd scruntinized himself at work. Now, it easily fell past his shoulders. And the newly discovered streaks just made him look cuter.

"I think I'm going to die working here. Really."

"No you aren't," someone sounded from the door. Naruto turned around, slightly startled by the voice.

Relieved to see a friendly face, he allowed himself to breath. "It's only you Yoko. And what do you know? You aren't pretending to the opposite sex here."

"Maybe," she said walking in and grabbing a make-up bag from the same spot the brush was. "But you aren't bad at it, so it isn't a problem, right?" She made a gesture to the toilet with her hand.

"That's not the bad thing about it," Naruto groaned as he took a seat on the toilet. "It's the fact that I'm here. Yamiko's mad at me now. And Sakura and Ino are just being Saukura and Ino. I thought they would kill me when I got here. If Yamiko hadn't knocked me over, I probably would've died!!" Yoko laughed at the look of absolute terror on his face.

"Well, that's how they are." She unzipped the tiny bag and pulled out the one of the stick concealers. "Besides, it can't be bad to get attention, right?" she added, using the flesh colored stick to cover two of his six scars; the middle one on each side. That way, if a classmate came in, they couldn't make the connection then. Satisfied, she put it back and pulled out a dark, rosy blush because of his tan.

"Says you!!" Naruto respoded, closing his right eye as she applied the coloring. "This sucks. He only came here because he wanted to make sure I got home anyway."

"You live up the street don't you?" she asked as she moved on to the other side.

"Yeah. I have to go back to his house though."

"Why?!" she shrieked pulling out a red, glossy lipstick.

"Don't take it the wrong way!!" he warned before she let the stick meet his lips. "I don't lean towards that side of the fence. We have a project together, and he thinks I'm going to slack off." Nice save there.

"Yeah, yeah," she said waving him off with the makeup hand and tossing back her silver pony-tail with the other. She squatted down realizing that she couldn't get his lips and eyes right from a height.

"Hey," Naruto started, hindering her progress again, "why aren't you out there fawning over Uchiha anyway?"

"Shut-up and I'll tell you," she sighed. He mumbled his sorry and straightened out his mouth. "Well, you were obviously distracted yesterday, so I'll enlighten you. I won that little contest in third period. Therefore, I sat with the council at lunch. I don't like Hyuuga or Uchiha, so I sat with Subakuno-kun." She finished and started fishing around in the bag for eye products.

"Oh... Oh! Either you put on too much blush, or you're a bit embarrassed there, Yoko," he teased.

"Shut-up! You're eyes should be closed anyway!"

"Yes Ma'am," he giggled, letting his eyelids fall again. "So Yoko, if I'm working the floor, who's doing the dishes?" He held back his giggle from the tickle of the eye liner.

"Well, since you're the most valued worker, you were going out anyway. But, the boss said you can come out now since your friend said he'd do the dishes while the four of us switch off cooking and waiting."

"Four?" Yoko pulled out an eye shadow that she thought went well with his blush.

"You know that you're staying out there all night. You attract the customers, and you came in late duh." She pulled out a grey shade and added it near the edge of his eyelids.

"Hey, I can't help it if he doesn't believe I can cook." Yoko smeared the two colors together with her middle finger.

"Then show up early once and cook something!" the amber-eyed girl said matter of factly.

"Send someone to pick me up and I will!" He added, scrunching his eyebrows as she put on the finishing mascara.

Ignoring his rant she said, "Naruto... when's the last time you did your eyebrows?"

"A week ago."

"You've got to be stressed then because they came in pretty quickly this week."

"Yeah well, that's a story for another day." He stood up, looked in the mirror. "Thanks for the makeup job!" he said in a slightly higher voice than before; that's his girl voice. It wasn't hard for him to make the transition.

"Anytime Naru_ko._ Just be sure to dry and fluff your hair a bit before you come out for good, m'kay? Oh, and don't forget your trademark sparkles miss."

"'Kay!!" he said shooing her out and closing the door. He dashed the sparkles on his newly made cleavage and around his cheeks. He applied it to his eyelids with a cotton-swab. The sparkles on his lips came from a shimmer gloss. He did his hair and observed himself. He looked good. He already passed for a girl, but now he was a _sexy _girl with the smokey effect Yoko had put on his eyes. _Maybe she should do my makeup all the time... _And for some bizarre reason that even he couldn't think of, he started making faces in the mirror. Kissy faces, sexy faces, flirty faces, all of those. Pretty soon, he was having fun and switched to poses. He stuck his lips out and put a finger to them. He lifted a foot and grabbed the back of his head. He bent over and picked up his skirt, showing off the red panties that said foxy on them with little hearts. And then the door opened.

Naruto froze in sick shock as he stared in the mirror. He really didn't want to return his neck to normal to see who had come in. He was perfectly content to stare at his butt rather than find out who had caught him like that. And just to make things worse, they were laughing. Laughing!! Laughing?? Who would laugh at that? It wasn't a customer because they weren't allowed back there; they wouldn't know it was a guy either. Ebisu? No, he enjoys it. The girls were either waiting or cooking so...

Naruto turned beet red when he confirmed that Sasuke had just barged in on his little 'performance.' So he stood there blushing in his women's attire until sense caught up with him.

"Come on 'Suke!!" Naruto begged. "It's not that bad is it?"

"No," the dark haired boy managed through scattered shots of breath. "It's the fact that you were checking yourself out in the mirror that kicks my ass."

Naruto just straightened out and pouted. "Bet you're the only guy here who doesn't like it." He 'hmphed' and turned up his nose.

"Oh, I bet. Don't you think all gay boys will say ew?" Sasuke inquired, finally calming down a bit.

"Nope. It's called drag, and most of them like it... I think." _Dammit... That last part was too hasty..._

Clearly Sasuke had missed the hast part. "Alright, don't eat me... Hey, what's with the kitsune panties, hm?"

Naruto's blush just got deeper, if possible. "I'm in a short ass dress... I can't exactly go around in green boxers..."

"Or hair on your legs I see..."

"Like you didn't notice in school!!" Naruto shouted, slapping away the invading hand that he had just noticed was creeping toward him. "Stay away from me you freak. You don't even like girls."

"Eh... It's not that I don't like girls. I just don't find them attractive, you know?" He sat in his musings for a moment or two. "Back to the drag thing... why do guys like that?"

"I said homos..."

"Okay, then homos. Why would they like that?" He jammed his hands in his pockets and put on a genuinly curious face.

"Why don't you ask one?" Naruto scoffed back, brushing past him to get out to the parlour. He was shocked to be grabbed by the wrist. "What the hell Uchiha??"

"Yuo know," Sasuke said through a half-lidded gaze, "it wouldn't be so bad if you weren't wearing the bra. Other than that I like it."

Naruto somehow managed to wrench his hand away. "Are you drunk?!"

"I don't think so," the raven haired boy replied with a small smile coming to play on his lips.

Naruto screwed up his face and stared. "Then what is wrong with you?"

"See, normally you're just cute," he offered without control of his tongue. "But for some very stange reason..."

"Oh shut-up!" Naruto hissed, turning his face away as quickly as he could to hide his rather persistant blush. "I'm going. Don't drown in the sink you dumbass."

"M'kay," was the lazy answer he got with a weak wave as he trotted off. Now, Naruto would've thought on it more, but he did have to work. Although he thought something was terribly wrong with Sasuke, he told himself that he would figure it out on his break. Tired or not, that was way too out of character for Sasuke to wave like that. It was like he was him instead of himself. Wait… did that make sense? It did in his mind. He sighed away his previous concerns to put up a good act this night. Other wise, he was getting a pay deduction. That wasn't a good thing.

Trotting up to his first table for the night, Naruto executed his mental character change. "Hello gentlemen," he said in his cheeriest, girly voice. "I'm Naruko and I'm your waitress for the night. Do you have any idea on what you want?" Of course, he ignored the smug smiles as nothing more than a regular response from his customers.

"Well, it is a ramen house," one with dark hair said to his friend.

"That's right Zaku," he replied. You really couldn't tell if he was smiling thought since he had on that hat. "What say you we order ramen?"

"Alright Dosu," the one with brown hair said. "Do we want anything extra?"

"Hm…" He leaned back and one could only assume he closed his eyes in thought. "Miso ramen with extra naru_to_ for me."

Naruto only smiled. "And you Mister Zaku?" he asked in a sickeningly sugary tone.

"The same thing," he replied, leaning back a bit in his chair. When the blonde turned to leave, he was a little surprised to be called back Returning to the table, he waited to be spoken to. "Is your friend alright?"

"That depends on which friend you mean," he said pleasantly. "Sometimes I'm sure they aren't too well off in the head."

"I mean the guy. The one that was sitting here earlier?"

"Mm…" He put a finger to his lips and pretended to think, shifting his hips and resting his free hand on one. "Oh! You mean Sasuke-kun, ne?"

"If that's the emo kid." Naruto nodded, almost dying from laughter inside. "Well," Zaku continued, "you might want to check on him. Last I saw, our friend Kin was fawning over the guy. I hate to say, but she's a bit assertive you know."

"Oh?" the blonde asked, trying carefully to lace worry into his voice.

Dosu nodded. "And she went back there. They were talking to each other before, but he kind of left in a huff and disappeared." Naruto was already moving. He wasn't even listening after the talking part. Sasuke makes it his business to never talk to any girl unless it was mandatory to his life. On top of that, he was being all stupid when he found Naruto. Something had to happen, right? And those people made it seem like they either didn't really like or didn't really know Sasuke.

_Dammit... I knew I should've thought on it a bit more... _Naruto silently cursed himself with every controlled step he took. It's not like he could go off sprinting. Trying his damnedest to keep his pace even, he bit down on his lip a little. The lipstick wasn't coming off, it never did. But, he did have to settle for chewing on the side of his mouth rather than his lip because of the tiny wound he'd already made through the days. _Damn him... Making me worry like that!!_

Naruto rounded the corner that turned to the solitary hallway leading to the backroom. Out of sight, Naruto made a dash in his little dress shoes to make it to the room. Flinging the doors open, he searched the parimeter with his eyes; finding nothing. He cursed out loud then stormed through the small area, stopping here and there to open a closet. Hell, he'd fit in one before, right? Sighing in defeat, Naruto slumped against one of the walls. He couldn't find him, but Sasuke hadn't left this room. He couldn't have, someone would have noticed. Then Naruto remembered that one of them had said their comrade followed him. Back here. Nowhere to be seen?

Then he heard it.

* * *

GAH!! Did I really just make a cliff-hanger?! And you know what? I haven't even started coding the chapter for dA yet, let alone finished it XP Looks like you'll be waiting a little while for this one.

Sasu- Wait.. what?! You can't do that!

Naru- Yeah! I want to know what I heard!

... That's so funny how he doesn't even know what he's going to experience. Well, to me it is... Really... You don't think it's funny?? Then go fall somewhere!! Anywhooooo... Wanna see Naru in his dress? E-mail me and I'll give you the picture. Just gotta color it.

Naru- Don't show them that!!


	12. Scandal

heeeeeeey ppl!! soooo sorry it took soooo long. but, my internet just got cancelled becauase... well, quite frankly, my mom said so :shrug: can't fix that. anyway-- here's your chapter twelve. I'm working on 13... I'll leave an excerpt from it at the end!! like... veeeeeeeeeeerry end. M'kay? Happy reading!! oh wait-- know that when Sasuke is all-- eeeeeeeeeemo no!!... I love emo ppl. Take no offense from me about anything he says. EVUR

* * *

He thought he heard something... Did he really? Naruto stood back up quietly and cocked his head to attention. Listening with all his will power, the blonde boy strained his ears, pushing one rather persistent pony-tail out of the way. Yup, he definitely heard something. But what the hell was that? He heard a bang and then a hiss. Did a cat get in? No, there aren't any windows. His eyebrows knitted together as he thought. Sound came from somewhere, right? Right. 

Being the submissive person he is, Naruto gave up and decided to head to the bathroom the check his make-up. He opened the door and walked in, glancing in the mirror for a brief moment before deciding he looked fine. Now, he would've used the toilet since he wasn't getting a break after leaving like that. And he would've said something, but his brain was slow to register.

"Oh." That was all that came out when he turned around. How he missed it the first time was beyond him. He wasn't one to be unfamiliar with his surroundings. And that was one surrounding worth being familiar with. Not a very nice sight, but it would help to have seen it before.

Sasuke finger fucking a girl on a bathroom wall. Yep. That made Naruto's day alright.

The shocked look on the girl's face was priceless though. He assumed that to be Kin. And then, there was Sasuke. Poor, little Sasuke. She ripped his shirt you know. And that earring he'd decided to put on when he went back home had been torn out his ear. It sat on the floor, completely forgotten in their affairs. Naruto sighed as he bent his knees to pick it up. Good thing that he remembers to be a lady.

"Are you finished?" he asked, careful to keep his voice sweet as he pulled the two apart, releasing the girl from the wall. She sent him an icy glare that he matched, along with a smile that said he was obviously pissed. Wonder why?

"I'm sorry," the long haired girl said in a sappy tone, "but did you need something?" She pulled Sasuke back over her and he just stood there dumbly looking back and forth between the other two. What happened? Wasn't he just having fun two seconds ago? You'd think he'd be just a little bit more upset for being interrupted during sex though. But, he just stood there blank.

"Actually, yes," Naruto said, dropping his happy act. He kept his voice up though. "You see, Sasuke-_kun_ is working here tonight. I'm afraid he's busy." He grabbed Sasuke by the hand just to annoy the girl. It worked. "And I'm afraid that you aren't allowed back here either Miss Kin."

She only scowled in her way too short leopard skirt. "How do you know my name you bitch?"

Naruto felt his left fingers twitch a bit. Bitch? "I talked to your friends. They apparently take some liking to me."

"Well," Kin hissed, tugging on Sasuke's other arm and wrapping it around her waist, "I don't think that's true. Maybe they just pity you for your lack of chest size?"

Naruto felt his toes spread and come back together a few times in his shoes. He works pretty hard for those tiny muscles he has. Lack huh? "Or maybe you're just mad because I'm prettier than you?" Oh... That hit somewhere, he was sure. "And you know, my hair looks a lot nicer too," he teased, pulling out the elastic bands and placing them on his wrists. His hair fell down around his shoulders, and he picked up a lock. "Yup, much nicer. And I don't put all that product stuff in it either."

Kin just stood there, still latched to her _beloved_ Uchiha. "You're hair isn't that nice," she spat out with acid dripping from her every word.

Naruto just looked at her. _You're kidding... right?_ Who gets like that because of their hair? _Girls and their beauty problems..._ "Well, even if it wasn't, you still have no business back here." He gave Sasuke an extra tug, earning him a grunt. "Besides, I highly doubt he's doing... _this_ on his on accord," he stated; gesturing to the scene.

"And why's that?"

Naruto sighed, lost for an excuse. Of course he came up with the two anyone else would- 1: I'm his girlfriend and 2: He's gay. But, those just didn't seem to work since anyone would think of that. He looked at the mirror for a second, make it look like he wasn't thinking, you know? Then, he turned back, reason in mind.

"Because, Sasuke-kun just had a tragedy occur at home." He took the raised eyebrow from Kin as a sign that she was interested. Good. "Well you see, he was sleeping last night, and heard a weird noise down the hall." Was it normal for someone to get into a lie _that _much? Really, he'd dropped Sasuke and bent close to the girl for emphasis. "You see, someone had come in his window. When he woke up, his whooooooooole room was trashed, and there was noise coming from the bathroom. When he walked in, there was this guy drowning his cat because it scratched him."

"What?" she asked in disbelief as her eyes grew wide.

_Gotcha! _Naruto thought in triumph. "That's right. Then the guy attacked him. Sasuke-kun almost didn't win. He got lucky because the guy was drunk. If it wasn't for that, Sasuke-kun might not even be here the guy was so big!!"

"Oh my gosh!!" Kin wept in horror. "No wonder he got so upset about me calling him as adorable as a kitten!!" She wrapped her arms around Sasuke's neck, but Naruto wasn't worried about it anymore.

Time to take advantage of the situation. "You did what?" he shrieked in mock terror. "That's horrible! Imagine what that must've reminded him of!"

"I know!! And now I feel terrible about what I did!!" the girl sobbed from her place on Sasuke. He just looked at her in confusion. Funny how he was forgetting things so fast all the sudden.

"Oh my gosh!! What did you do to him?!" Naruto cried out. Does it make sense for someone to act that well just to get someone out of the room?

"I... I drugged him!!" Naruto just stared at her as she swished her hair from side to side with the violent shaking of her head. "Not on purpose!! And... It really was an accident!! Nothing serious though-- I swear!!"

"How exactly do you _not_ drug someone on purpose again?" he asked coldly. "I seem to have forgotten."

She shook her head again. "That's none of your business," she said. "But I really didn't mean it!"

"Didn't mean it?" he lagged out, pausing between each word. "What do you--?"

"I've got to go," she said wiping tears of shame from her eyes. "I'm very sorry!! It should wear off soon anyway!!" she called back as she scurried out to the front. Taking one moment to check Sasuke over, Naruto made to follow after her. But, by the time he'd gotten Sasuke off his back, she and her comrades had fled.

_That's just great_, Naruto thought, turning back to reluctantly take care of Sasuke. _Wonder what she drugged him with?_ _Can you say E? _He _pretty _much thought that was what it was too-- because as soon as he got back to the room, Sasuke flung himself onto the shorter boy and would _not_ let go. After a good five minutes or so, Naruto got him calmed down. How? He splashed him twenty more times than needed with dish water. Wonderful isn't it?

Sputtering, Sasuke was finally able to get his classmate to stop. "What the hell are you doing?" he bit out coldly.

Naruto only chuckled. "Well, it wasn't E that's for sure. It wouldn't lose effect that quickly." Expert huh?

"What?" Sasuke asked, screwing up his face in confusion.

"Tell me sir," Naruto called, pulling a pose. He put one elbow on the counter behind him and placed his head in his hand. Then he crossed his legs at the ankles. ((A/N: Think Hitachiin people.))

"Tell you what?" Sasuke asked in disgust at how smug the blonde was looking at him.

"Tell me how it is exactly that you were drugged?" He chuckled when Sasuke stared at him in what looked like utter disbelief. "Anyone in there Sasuke?"

"How'd you know about that?" he asked in complete seriousness.

Naruto just cocked an eyebrow. "You knew you were drugged? You sure as hell didn't act like it."

"That doesn't answer my question dumbass."

"Well damn... I know you're PMS-ing right now, but do you really have to snap like that?" Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but Naruto silenced him. "Look, I don't know why you're going Jet Li on my ass, but--"

"Will you just answer the question?!" Sasuke nearly screeched, his voice strained and uncharacteristically high.

"Why are you screaming?"

"Were you listening outside the door? You're fast, so you could get a good distance after hearing that."

"Sasuke, I _really_ don't know wha--"

"Did you hear what the doctor said or not?!" he shouted, pulling the younger boy from his lax stance by grabbing his apron.

"N-NO!" Naruto replied, shaking his head from side to side. "I don't eavesdrop!! I don't even know what you're talking about!! Honest!!" Sasuke started lifting him, and his hands flew right to the clutching pair on his apron. He grabbed them instinctively, to keep them in place, so he couldn't get hit, and turned his head. Being ready never hurt... in most instances. "Really!! She just told me!! Kin or whatever!! That might not even be her real name!! I don't know!! But I don't do things like that!! Privacy is everything to me Uchiha!!" There went the surname again.

Sasuke just held him there for a moment or two before his sudden rage started to diminish. He faintly heard a soft whisper to be let down and complied. Mumbling his sorry, he turned to face his back to his probably emotionally scarred friend. Although he'd been doing it since long before then, they weren't on the best of terms during those times. Since he'd declared his apologies and sincerity yesterday, he couldn't do that anymore. And now, Naruto wasn't going to listen to a thing he said anymore. Right? That's what he thought.

"So now you aren't going to talk to me?" Naruto asked, a little pissed, from his spot by the sink.

Sasuke turned around, embarrassment clearly written on his face. _Why do I have to black out like that all the time? That's what those sessions are for right? _

He looked up at his so called friend who just seemed to be staring. _And why'd I have to do it to him? It's never anyone else but him. And that loser is nothing but forgiving._

Naruto watched his expression change to shame. _Who am I really trying to kid here? Oh wait... I said that at the hospital didn't I? Yeah... that was right after he left. WAY before I heard the doctor coming._

He poked high up on the inside of his thigh a bit then smiled. _I think I pick the best places for things. Who'd have thought to cut that, hm? I'm not stupid like those other people-- slitting their wrists and shit. They just want attention-- those emo fucks. _

A chuckle got out this time and Naruto watched in shock and horror as he sat on the floor patting his thighs. _And I'll never get caught either. I don't **want **attention. I just want to feel that sensation. It's rather interesting a feeling, and nobody cares now, right? Right. If that's the case, why would they care if I got hurt, hm? _

He stopped laughing suddenly. _Although... I could just off myself then. Nah. Then Itachi would have nothing to do with his life and would probably come out on top of everything. Wouldn't want **that **now would we? _

And he broke out into maniacal fits, gripping his pants to keep from falling over backwards. _Oh man... I don't know what I would do if that happened. Maybe I'd rise from my grave and drag him back to Hell with me? That sounds about right. I mean, he's headed there anyway. I'd just get there first to save him a spot and--_

And his laughter was stopped from a very familiar sting spreading rapidly across his face. He looked up, shocked from his daze, just to get shoved to the ground. In one very swift, and hard, motion, Naruto slammed himself to sit on his elder's chest, pinning his wrists above his head. "You sorry **fuck**!" he scolded in his face. "What the hell is wrong with you?! How dare you think like that?! Dammit!! If I wasn't in a dress, and I didn't think it would just turn you on, I'd have the right mind to kick your ass to oblivion right now!!"

"What are you talking about? I didn't say anything..."

"To Hell you didn't!! You aren't great at keeping thoughts in your head when you're upset in case you haven't noticed!! Apparently you're used to telling _someone_ these things. Dumbass!!"

"Hmp." He turned his head to the side. _That _was not something he wanted to remember. _That _was something he always regretted too. "I'm no dumbass for anything I said. Those are my thoughts; I'm obligated to think as I want."

"But do you have to go around cutting yourself?!"

"That's my privacy. And, going along with what you said earlier, you won't dig further into that."

"You bastard!!" he shouted. Letting go with one hand, he grabbed both wrists in his left and pulled his other fist back. Bringing it down, Sasuke just stared ahead. He let him give him the deserved right hook. "Don't you think people would worry about you?!"

"Didn't you hear me say I didn't?" he asked, not turning back from the force the blow had given him.

"You're really selfish," Naruto hissed between his painted lips. "Did you know that Uchiha?"

"I'm not." He gave him a sideways glance. "I can't change what people think of me though. So what's the point in arguing with you?"

"You ass!" the blonde cried out, shaking him; making his own pony tails bob back and forth. "What's wrong with you not to notice that there really are people who care about you?"

"Name three," he said dead on, finally turning to look at the boy on top of him.

"Huh?"

"Come on, give me three people. Apparently there are a load of these people that I don't know about. Enlighten me."

"Okay... Neji? Yeah, him! He's always worrying about your ass. I sit right behind him in our classes together. It's sickening."

"I'll take that then. Keep it going."

"Kakashi. He--"

"No explanation needed," Sasuke said quickly. _Damn... I hope he doesn't say that another one. _"Gimme the last one."

"You're a total moron, aren't you?" Naruto finally smiled.

"Why?"

"Because it's me of course!" He let go and leaned back a bit out of his face. "You can't say you didn't see that coming."

"Okay, then I won't."

Naruto dropped his smile and stared down at him. "Really? Who'd you think I was going to say?"

Sasuke only shook his head. Well, more like rolled from side to side. "Never mind that," he said with a somewhat softer tone. "Tell me, why do you care?"

"And how many times did I ask before I got an answer from _you_?" Naruto teased.

"I'm really serious though," Sasuke stressed.

The blonde on top of him seemed hurt. "And you think that I wasn't when I asked?"

"Well, you're one of _those _people, you know?" he asked, scrunching up his face.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. That only made him seem like a pouty little girl in his dress. Sasuke had to strain himself slightly not to laugh. "Oh do I?" the cross dresser asked, ignoring the slight giggles. "Humor me. What kind of people are _those_?"

"You know... just _those _kind." That got him a nasty glare. "Okay, okay. I mean the type of people that need reassurance. Like... you hang on your friends no doubt. And... You probably try to stick by your parental figures, correct?" He paused, not really expecting an answer. "You're one of those people that just want to be around other people. So, that would make me think you're willing to say anything to keep someone close by."

"You know, as much sense as that made, it didn't give you an excuse. That doesn't say why I ask why you care all the time."

Sasuke cocked his head the little bit he could. "It doesn't?" Naruto shook his head, and Sasuke just stared. "It made sense when I thought about it... Maybe you're just an idiot?"

Naruto frowned. "I know you were just drugged and all, but you don't have to be an ass you know."

"Sorry," the raven haired teen replied with the tiniest hint of a smile.

"Hey, are you... feeling alright? I know you get like this _monthly,_ because it's always me you're after, but really. Are you not feeling well?"

"I feel fine, what are you talking about?" the Uchiha said with the straightest face possible.

"Schizo," Naruto mumbled. Sasuke surely could have laughed at that.

"No. You're right. I get fidgety."

"How come?" the blonde asked, leaning back over his face. Not once had he moved from his spot atop his friend. That meant his skirts were still spilled and tumbling around the pale boy's figure.

"How come what?" Sasuke asked as if he didn't already know.

"How come you get fidgety?"

He sighed before responding. "If you haven't already gathered from my recent outburst..." He trailed off, mentally preparing himself to tell someone the shocking truth he'd only found out the day before.

"You're getting drugged regularly??" Naruto asked, blue eyes wide in shock. Sasuke nodded, slightly pissed that he wasn't able to finish his statement. "Oh wow... No wonder you get so stupid!!"

"Excuse me?"

"Well... How do I explain this..." He thought for a moment, placing his chin in his hand and furrowing his brow.

_So cute,_ Sasuke thought.

"Aha!" Naruto exclaimed. "Okay. Other than the fact that you snapped on me because you thought that I knew what you were talking about?" He got a groan in response. "It's okay," he said with a smile. "Anyway. I knew you were being drugged because, well, that. But!! I knew it was on a regular basis. That's because, after a while, a tolerance is built up. Besides the fact that you get totally idiotic, you take it pretty well. Maybe your moronic actions are from your chemical reaction with whatever it is... Do you know?"

"Do I know what?" Sasuke asked, snapping out of his daze. It's funny how watching his whiskered friend's lips make certain syllables could distract him like that.

"Do you know what it is?"

"Ahh..." He thought for a second. "The doctor said that it was... marijuana. I don't know why anyone would give me that though..."

"Don't worry about it. Regardless, it looks like your retarded-ness has passed. That gives me the chance to leave you now and get back to work." Naruto made the move to get up, but a firm hand on his arm stopped him. He made an inquiring squeak and waited for his reply.

"You never gave me an answer," Sasuke pouted, not letting his grip loosen.

"An answer for what?"

"You still never told me why _you _care."

"Oh." He sat for a moment considering what he should say. It was true that Sasuke used to be his best friend, but he'd already said that about Naruto. He could've said he started to worry after Sasuke stopped acting like himself, but that wouldn't work because they were fighting when that happened. And that would mean that he was stalking him to some extent. He settled for an easy way out. "Gee 'Suke... I really don't know."

"You liar. You've got to have a reason."

"Maybe." He shrugged. "I just don't know what it is right now. Sorry." He threw in a cheery smile, just for good measure.

"You're really half-assed, you know that?" Sasuke said more than asked, scorn clearly audible in his voice.

"I do now!" Naruto piped, jumping up before he could be pulled back again. "But seriously, I _must_ work. You, you do the dishes. M'kay?"

Sasuke groaned from his spot on the floor again. "How long am I here again?" he asked, reaching out his hand to be pulled up.

"You're in this hellhole until eleven tonight," the blonde replied, grabbing his hand and hoisting him up to his normal standing position.

Sasuke sighed again. "Well, at least I'm stuck here with you."

"But I won't be back here Sasuke-kun," Naruto stated in his girlish voice again.

"Maybe." He shrugged mimicking his friend from before. "But I can come out every now and then between waves of dishes, can't I?" He added a quick smile at the end. It was fun to make, well, fun of him.

"I guess," Naruto huffed, rolling his eyes. "But don't come out too much. You bring in mall traffic. That means I have to hustle and listen to girls chit-chat about you being in the back room. It's _very_ annoying."

"Why? Don't you hear it at school? And... wouldn't you hear it anyway? Only difference is the back room part."

"No. I wouldn't hear it regularly because guys are what mainly come through here. Hence the get-up I'm forced to wear."

"Uh-huh..." Sasuke looked him up and down once or twice. "You never told me that other thing either."

"What other thing?" the blonde asked, looking at him sharply.

"I was most likely on cloud forty-seven, but I remember asking why gay boys like drag."

"Oh..!" And how to answer that?! It's not like he could tell him exactly how he knew. Or... why he was introduced to the concept in the first place. _Oh damn... And he's normal now!! _Naruto scolded himself over a million times before he tried to process an excuse. _Okay, think! Ah... Got it!! _

"Gonna give me an answer, dobe?"

"Nnnnnnnnope! I'm going to work the floor. So! I will see you whenever you come out here. M'kay?" Naruto took off at a quickly paced skip, hoping that his friend would follow. Lucky! He sure enough was trying to catch up and ask him what that was about. And that's just what our cunning little blonde wanted. No doubt, he was going to be heckled about not answering him like that.

They had almost reached the end of the hall before Naruto knew he was caught. Through the windows, the girls from the mall watched as their beloved Uchiha Sasuke tackle a cute girl down and out of sight from anyone in the parlor. How did they know it was him? Other than the fact that they were insanely lust driven fiends and could recognize him anywhere, they caught a glimpse of that chain he always wore, the silver one his brother gave him for his middle school graduation. So needless to say they were all slightly pissed. Agreeing with the other members of the official Sasuke fan-club, they decided to team up on the girl in the shop.

"Hey, Sa-suke," Naruto sang out from under his friend.

"What?" Sasuke ground out, swearing that if he could, he'd rip the girly voice right out of his tiny throat.

"Take your earring." Naruto reached in his pocket and pulled it out, offering it to him. After it was taken and put back in his ear, Naruto started to laugh.

"What?"

"You aren't going to have time to heckle me now sir." He took the look of confusion as an answer. "Most of your fan club is more than likely planning to mob me with orders because of this little show. So, I will see you in Hell as soon as you catch up with me there."

"What do you mean? You aren't going to--" He never really got to finish whatever it was he wanted to say. The shouts of orders from the girls that had gathered outside were loud enough to drown out a dying elephant. With a triumphant chuckle, Naruto slid his way out from under his elder and waltzed away to the first table.

Sasuke just stared after him in a mix between longing and hate. "He's too smart."

* * *

i promised right? here's your little... thing XP : 

"I said it was nothing, so drop it okay? I don't press when _you_ throw little fits do I?" He crossed his arms and heaved a huge huff of annoyance.

"Even though you should? No, I suppose not." Sasuke rolled over to his back again and placed his hands under his head. This was not how his Sunday mornings were supposed to be. Ever. He wasn't supposed to be woken up at eight something in the morning by some guy who had woken him up already at two. He wasn't supposed to be having lagging conversations that bored him _and_ made him think a little at the same time. And he wasn't supposed to be deprived of his sprawling space because someone else wanted to sit there. So right then, his morning sucked. It was time to change that. "Hey, Dobe?"

"What?" Naruto asked, somewhat annoyed with the choice name he'd received yet another time.

"You hungry?"

"I guess--"

"Then go eat." With a very swift move, Sasuke managed to roll all the way over onto his stomach and push Naruto off the bed, reclaiming his king-sized space. "So much better," he moaned, burying his face in the dark blue comforter.

* * *

ok, have another then XD I just wanted to : 

"But you know..."

"Huh?" That didn't sound good.

"I _could_ touch you more like this." His smile turned to a smirk when he saw the look of utter surprise on Sasuke's face after he'd pinched his nipple with the same two fingers.

"W-what the hell?!" the distraught boy shrieked.

"What? Reap what you sow pretty boy. How long have you been doing this to him again?"

"Well, yeah but... you know another saying is two wrongs don't make a RIGHT!!" He got pinched again.

"Of course I do. But that contradicts with don't get mad, get even."

"You know," Sasuke said as he cringed at another teasing touch, "I really don't think I like you."

"Maybe... But at least I haven't totally molested you yet, right?"

"Excuse me?" Sasuke chirped.

"You got very lucky," the blonde said with a smile as he eased off. "Naruto is really pulling hard to get back in here."

"And you're not letting him in now because..?"

"Unlike Naruto, I actually _am_ gay. I enjoy this."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you just an isolated section of his personality?" See, Sasuke was actually a bit shocked at that, but he couldnn't reveal it to his attacker. Oh no, that's the third rule of martial arts; show no fear.

"No. I'm not. I'm totally different. I was _created_ by Naruto. In no evolutionary way am I part of him."

"And you told me this becuase..?"

"Because you're damn sexy Uchiha." Sasuke didn't know anything else to do but stare as the blonde got off and walked back over to the chair he'd sat in earlier. "Oh, one more thing. Make sure you never confuse the three of us."

"Three?" Sasuke called, sitting up after recovering from his stupor.

* * *

ok, that's it. Sasuke almost gets raped in the next one. Any guesses on who it is??XP I'll get it as soooon as I can. Oh, for ppl that actually read this, do you want me to like... send you a note or something when I get up a chapter?? there aren't many of you, so I have no problem with it whatsoever. M'kay? Love you all!! 


	13. Morning!

I'm alive!!!!!! wooo hoo!! now look here, this is an insanely long hting. I could have cut it into 3 chapters but... i didn't want to. now. read this (( i leave you a note at end!!))

* * *

"I'm so tired!!" Naruto only somewhat whined through his enormous yawn as he stretched his arms high over his head the next morning. Sasuke looked on at how carelessly he bared his rather sharp teeth to the world. But, now that he thought about it, one wouldn't expect a person like Naruto to have fangs, would they? Or shout so loudly as to wake a sleeper like him. He decided to watch the blonde's _normal _morning behavior a little while longer. Apparently, after he'd slammed his arms back down beside him, Naruto chose to magically, since Sasuke couldn't figure out how he'd done it, lean over his legs and flop to his stomach to stretch those out. Then, for some odd reason unknown to man, he rolled over off of the bed and landed with a thump on the floor. Nice.

Closing his eyes, Sasuke groaned and kicked off the covers to crawl over to that side. Without opening them, he asked, "What are you doing, you dumbass?" When he didn't get a response, he slid one eye half way open. _Not there huh? _Surprises weren't anything new with Naruto. It was more like what he _did _for his surprises that got you. "Idiot... Where did you go Ru?" The sudden weight on his back caused Sasuke to collapse onto the bed.

"Hey, think you could maybe get a better name than that?" Naruto asked, not caring that his friend probably couldn't answer since his face was so readily planted into the mattress. "I think that might be what Kakashi calls Uncle Iruka."

Giving up on attempts to live, Sasuke didn't make a move to respond. _Maybe_ Naruto would remember that he came busting in crying at two in the morning. _Maybe_ Naruto would remember that Sasuke stayed up with him until four in the morning. _Maybe_ Naruto would realize that he was tired and couldn't really put up a fight for his life at the moment. It took him a few extra seconds,but he did notice finally.

"Oh, sorry 'Suke. Here." Naruto got off of him at last. Then, he took it upon himself to roll him over. Frowning at the fact that the pale teen was obviously trying to go back to sleep, he poked him in the ribs. "Get up you bum. This is my only day off, and you want to just lay there?"

"Yeeeeeees," the brunette moaned, rolling over into the sheets again. "Now leave me alone? I never got ambushed like that. And I'm not used to staying up that late when I'm not working."

"That's absolutely terrible, you know that?" Once more, Sasuke gave him a groan for a reply. "I work like that most of the time. And I was ambushed far worse by those girls than you. Sir Sasuke just could have run to the back room. Me? I had to stay. You don't see me lagging about, now do you?"

"No, but you're no doubt used to stuff like that. Me? I don't normally have a crying fifteen year old kid running in my room and attacking me in the middle of the night."

"I did not attack you!!" Naruto insisted, pounding him slightly on the back. "I just jumped on the bed."

"Right. You also knocked over the litter box and cat box slash bed thing I made. Not only that, but my rolling chair got flung across the room and hit the window. If that wasn't safety glass... And you spilled the water on my night stand."

"But it wasn't on purpose," the blonde moaned, draping his stomach across the muscular back. For a thin boy, Sasuke was very... buffed up. And he took no offence to the tiny tanned thing that had just laid on him. Instead he rolled over so that their abdomens were pushing against each other. "Oh I see. So that's how you are in the morning, huh?"

"And how's that?" Sasuke asked, throwing up one of those eyebrows again. He did that so much around Naruto now. Everything was either a wise crack or something that he was oblivious to.

"Horny bastard," the blonde chuckled.

"I am not," Sasuke managed through a very faint blush. _He's far too blunt._

"You sure? I remember you being quite assertive yesterday." He swung his legs over and once again squished Sasuke under him. Well, as close as he could get to squishing anyway. It was more like lying on top of him and saying he couldn't move. It wasn't straddling though. Of course, that was embraced with open arms all the same.

"Maybe. Remind me." He started playing with the hair falling into Naruto's blue eyes: a newly formed habit of his. That particular trait came about from all the times he had to comfort him over the last two days. His hair was always getting in the way of his face when Sasuke couldn't really tell what was wrong. So, he moved it out of the way. "What happened again that morning?" A tiny smile graced him. "As I remember, you were quite consensual. Am I wrong Naruto?"

"Shut up," Naruto ordered, pouting under his bangs. "I was drunk on lack of sleep yesterday. I cannot be held responsible for any of the retarded actions I took."

"Well now, that isn't very mature of you is it?"

"I'm not a mature person though."

"You'd have to be. You're too smart to be immature." Sasuke frowned at a certain thought that crossed him. "And you _still_ didn't give me an answer for either question I asked you last night." How that memory came about didn't make sense, but hey.

"Must I?"

"You must."

Naruto huffed then crossed his arms under his chin, a.k.a. over Sasuke's chest. "Okay fine. What then?"

"Mm..." Honestly, Sasuke wasn't expecting him to cooperate, let alone agree so quickly. So, he had to think which one he wanted to know more: drag or him. "Alright. Seriously, why would someone like _you _care about someone like _me_?"

"See, I'm going to sound really dumb now..." He turned his head to the side and looked at the large headboard. Sighing he turned back to give his answer. "I just do okay? It could be because we _were _best friends. It could be because we _were _enemies at once. Hell, it could even be because you said you cared about me. I really don't know."

"So, it's nothing really deep and insightful like I would expect from you?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.

The tiny teen only smiled softly in the morning light. "Of course it is. I just don't feel like getting in depth this early in the day."

"What?" Sasuke whined.

"That was what I would have said at the shop, when I really didn't know. But, I figured it out last night when I was sleeping actually."

"And you won't tell me?" Naruto shook his head. "Why not?" the brunette pouted pulling on one of the flattened yellow locks.

"Because it shouldn't really matter."

"It sure as hell mattered to you. Why can't it matter to me?"

"Because you have no heart wrenching past or life story to need to know something like that."

"And you do?" That didn't sound like sarcasm. But... that still couldn't be true, could it?

"I do," the top boy said firmly. "Mine is a story so sad that all who heard it would collapse in a lake of their own surrounding tears." Wait... what was that? He sat up, straddling him, and fluttered a hand to his forehead? Oh, now he's acting out the miserable heroine. Yes, heroine. "One that could cause the miracle of ending all war because it would make even the most ruthless of men appreciate all life. One so sad and sorrowful that the great Subakuno Gaara would break down into violent shudders. Even the ever so stoic Buttercup Utonium, yes, the green-eyed triplet, would want to apologize to all she ever insulted."

"Do you expect me to take you seriously when you do crap like this?" Sasuke inquired with a quick mimic of the blonde's motions.

Naruto removed his hand and turned his gaze downward with a blank expression. A moment later he softened and smiled again. "I suppose not." He lowered his top half back down once more, and his little black kitten crawled its way atop his head from under the bed. "But then again, you wouldn't believe me if I did it straight forward, would you?"

"Most likely... not?" Sasuke furrowed his brow. "No, I don't think I would. You just don't seem like that kind of person most of the time."

"Toldja. I've got a good mask huh?"

"I guess. But do you think you could maybe get one for that bruise too?" he joked, brushing aside some hair to reveal the still very obvious hickey.

Naruto only scowled and made a move to cover it with his own hand. "Why bring something like that up, huh?" He lazily removed himself and sat holding his ankles cross-legged. Sasuke rolled over at the lost weight and propped himself up on his elbow.

"Because I'm arrogant," the Uchiha offered flat out. "Why? Does it _bother _you?"

"The fact that it's there? No. The fact that you put it there when I couldn't do anything? Yes. That does bother me, and I prefer not to dwell on degrading thoughts of people surrounding me at the moment." Sasuke just started up that all familiar sport to those people. Yes, the infamous Konoha Stare. "What?" Naruto asked shifting slightly. He was only in his boxers, so it didn't help that he thought Sasuke was undressing him with his eyes. All his stares looked the same without much light, so it was a bit hard to distinguish which was which. Most looked like that lustful gaze he got in gym so...

"You're serious?"

Relief washed over him. Naruto was actually expecting a much different remark than that. Thank goodness he didn't get it though. "Yes, I'm very serious. Especially when it comes to sharing the same bed. I don't want to think that you're going to attack me in my sleep or something."

"And about that." Sasuke let the corners of his mouth drop down a bit. "When do you plan on stopping it? It's a little, restricting you know. I get enough of that normally."

Naruto grunted and squared his shoulders, making his cat jump down and scurry off to join her sister on the other side of the room. "I didn't think you'd mind so much. But I was thinking last night would be the last time. The fact that I won't be sleeping here again being said, you don't have to worry about that anymore."

"Oh wait, did I _offend_ you?" Sasuke asked in mock shock. "I won't do that ever again."

"Don't say things that aren't true," the blue eyed boy muttered, turning his gaze to stare in the other direction.

"What makes you think I don't mean it?"

Naruto looked at him through the corner of his left eye. "You said so yourself. You aren't going to stop doing something for one person."

And now his amusing morning was going downhill. That was just great. How could one comment send everything spiraling downward like that? Regardless, he had to fix it. He mused on how to turn things around, but, the time being morning and all, only one came to mind. "C'mere!" He reached out and grabbed the brooding blonde. Turning him in his grasp, he pulled the small back close to his chest. It crossed him to say that he wasn't _really_ just oneperson but... that wouldn't be too smart. So he settled for silence. Well, for as long as it was under his control that is.

Unfortunately for our obsidian-eyed teen, Naruto forced one of his legs out from the captive pair of his holder. Using that limb, he exerted as much force as he could behind him, pulling forth a grunt that caused a puff of air to blow across the top of his head. In short, he kicked Sasuke in the gut, making him lose his breath. Hearing him moan, Naruto let out a chuckle. "Like I said: horny bastard."

"I'm not horny!" he insisted a little too forcefully. "I'm tired."

"And you need me here because..?"

"Because I like to have you to sleep with."

"Li-ar," Naruto sang out. "You just said me sleeping with you is annoying."

"That's because you just barge in or climb in the bed whenever you want. It breaks my sleep, and I take hours to fall back into a _light_ doze. If I knew ahead of time, I wouldn't have a problem with it."

Naruto frowned slightly in thought. "So you're saying... that if by some miracle I happen to sleep here again, I can't sleep in this bed unless I've already designated the spot ahead of time?"

"Yyyyup."

"What makes you think I'll always want to sleep in here though?" Naruto asked with malice laced in every word. "I don't make it my business to _want _to sleep with other guys."

_Damn you're confusing... First you hate me, then you kiss me. You tell me to fuck off, then you want to sleep in my bed..._ Pulling himself out of his musing world, Sasuke gave a reply. "Because you told me so. Really, you begged me."

"I... did?" the blonde asked in disbelief. "I don't remember that."

"That's because you fell asleep afterward. Want me to remind you?" the brunette offered, starting to swirl his fingers across the tanned abs beneath them. When they tightened, he stopped. "Okay, fine. I'll say it: I _am_ horny in the morning. Stop acting like it's something new or I'll jump you like I do at school every _morning_."

Naruto sighed then loosened up a little. "Well, since you admitted it..."

"Great. Now, listen so I can tell you how freaky you were acting last night."

((SASUKE'S SORTA-FLASHBACK))

I was so content on sleeping, happily tucked away between my sheets. I was dreaming about a certain little, yellow thing. Yes, my pretty little kitten. Wait, did I say pretty? Dammit... Oh well. Anyway, I wouldn't be allowed to sleep for too long. Maybe ten minutes after I finally drifted off, my _locked_ door swung open and you flew in. ((A/N: Remember that he's talking to Naruto)) After knocking everything over in your frazzled state, you made it to the bed. Really, you ripped the blankets off of me and clamped on like a tick. I thought you'd just gone nuts, but then I felt your all too familiar tears on my chest.

I pulled you off and had to pin you to the pillows so that you would calm down. Once I had you straddled and under my hold, you stopped and stared at me like a deer in highlights. I swear I almost cried. I can't believe you looked so scared of me. So, I asked you what was wrong.

"Get off," you ordered. You sounded like you were chocking or something.

"What?" I asked like you'd told me to fall off a cliff.

"I said get off," you repeated.

"Alright." So I did. Then you sat up and stared at your feet since you were sitting cross-legged. "What is wrong with you now?"

"I had another nightmare," you whispered.

"And it was bad enough to get you to break through a locked door?" I mean, yes, you can be strong at times, but really now. I was shocked to see you nod. When you stopped though, your hair was hanging all in your face so I couldn't make out any type of emotion. Did you know that your hair is kind of flat at night? Anyway, I said, "Fell like telling me this time?"

You shook your head no the first time, but for some reason you looked distraught. I know that's normal for nightmares, but it wasn't normal for some reason. You were all crying and everything still. But, besides all that, you said, "I think I _have_ to tell you." Yes. You really said that. What reason do I have to lie right now? "It is about you after all," you said in the saddest voice I've _ev-er_ heard from you. Stop complaining, you were scared.

"Oh." Honestly, I wasn't expecting that from you. I was thinking maybe it had something to do with... whoever that guy was. Of course, being your vague self, I didn't get enough clues to tell that much. After asking, this is what I got instead:

"It felt like I'd just fallen asleep. Everything was going fine, like it normally does. But... instead of being a nice little dream thing, it turned into a horrible nightmare. It started off like the ones about my parents-- us just sitting outside, enjoying life and what it has to offer." I swear you sniffed like twenty times just through that. Yes I'm laughing. It was funny now that I think about it. "But, like those, something went horribly wrong. See, instead of Mom and Pop outside with me, it was you for... whatever bizarre reason my conscience was thinking. And... instead of what normally happens, he came and took you. Again."

"Ah... who did?" Really, I don't remember being taken by anyone. I mean, I _left _once, but I did _want_ to. And that was clear, so I know it wasn't that guy right? Oh that's right, you don't remember. Never mind and listen then.

"That bastard." You finally stopped your sniffling and looked kind of mad. "Only, this time, he didn't take you there. Oh no, he took you _there_. That's where I saw you. And it so pissed me off at first. But," you settled down then. Did you know you have insane mood swings? ...Me?! No, I don't know why that is... back to my story. "He didn't set you to that first task he gives everyone _else_ I see come in. Instead, he gave it to me. That was odd of him to do. And you know? You looked really scared about the whole idea. And..." And you started welling up again. Then, you slammed down into my chest and sobbed... And sobbed... And cried... And sobbed. Really, you cried on me for a _very_ long time. So long in fact, I decided to just slip you under the cover with me when I got back under again. Yes, we sat up. I'm not that much of a pervert thanks. At about three thirty you calmed down a little. That's an hour and a _half_ after you came in.

"You alright now?" I asked while I pushed you back up a little. God, that had me in fits inside. Yes, I admitted it dammit. I told you: you aren't just a friend, I like you too. Ah, that shut you up huh?

"Y-yeah." You smiled for some reason. "I'm alright." And then your eyes drooped a bit, and that smile was gone.

"Ru?" That was the first time I'd actually addressed you. Before were just shouts of 'hey' and 'stop' to calm you down.

"Sasuke." And then you pounded your head into my chest again. Did you know your hair is a wonderful pillow? Geez... yes, it's a good thing.

"Hm?" I started messing with your hair again.

"You know I wouldn't _really_ hurt you right?"

"What?" I stopped playing with your blondeness after that. I must admit, I looked down at you in utter shock. I've never been scared of you like that. Ever. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, believe me, but I never felt physically intimidated by you. So needless to say, I was taken back by that.

"Ever." You just seemed like you wanted to emphasize that more so, who was I to stop you? You just buried your nose further, if possible, and kept saying that. "Never ever. No matter what I say. I won't. That's a promise I'll never break."

I think I smiled then. Really. Don't know why. "I know you won't. Now come on, go to sleep." I pulled you down and _made _you stay under that blanket. Really though, you didn't put up much of a fight. After about, twenty minutes, you were almost asleep on your back, but you were still whimpering. So, I took it upon myself to-- Yes. I wrapped you up in my arms.

"'Suke... Can I always sleep in here?" Aww... You looked so cute with your tired little eyes.

"If you ask me first, I'll never say no, Ru." And you know what? You rolled over on your side and hugged me back until I was sleeping right along with you.

((END SORTA-FLASHBACK))

"You're lying!!" Naruto gasped still in Sasuke's hold.

And Sasuke pulled out a very triumphant smirk. "I am not. And you know what, you didn't have to interrupt me a million times either."

"Well sorry, but some of those things did surprise me."

"Like?"

"Well..." Naruto scrunched up his face in concentration. He really tried to remember why he would pour any of that out to Sasuke and not know the reason. "I don't know why I would tell you about _that_ dream in particular. That's kind of... on my restriction level. I'd never talk about that to anyone. Hell, I still haven't except for Gaara."

"You'd tell Subakuno before you'd tell me?" Sasuke asked just a fair little pissed.

_Oh damn..._ Naruto sat up again. "Really, it isn't how it sounds. I promise you. There is a _reason_ that I only talk to him about that certain aspect of my life. Don't feel left out or bad or anything."

"So... Since this is obviously a very important aspect of your life, does that make him a better friend than me?" That really was curiosity. There wasn't malice in there. It may have sounded like that because it was Sasuke, but there was no harm meant by his question.

"What? No! Don't make me answer that. You're a very good friend that I cry on. He's a very good friend I vent through. He lets me hit him you know."

"So... Now you're avoiding the question?"

"I'm not avoiding the question r-tard." He let a sigh escape him. "I'm only saying that's what I use him for most now. He's like my punching bag since nothing hurts him."

"So… I'm like, what now?"

"Cut it out Sasuke. I already wept out my little… more than just a friend stuff last night at my place. So… don't get all stupid on me."

"I don't get why you don't just come out and tell me that you really like me. I mean, it won't kill you to say it, right?"

Naruto sighed again. "Must I really tell you more than three times that I'm _not_ interested in other men? It isn't really that hard a concept to grasp is it?"

"Yeah, yeah. Say what you want," Sasuke mumbled waving him off with a hand. "And, you totally took that question the wrong way you know."

"And how was it supposed to be stated?"

"I said it like I say almost everything else. I meant that you like me more than most people. Like… a cousin or something maybe. I dunno." He sighed at the boring response he got. Same as always, Naruto's eyes got a little wider, and his mouth opened a little bit. Nothing more. "Anyway… I've decided to stop forcing myself on you… in _most_ cases. So, I wouldn't ask that question regardless."

"You what?!" Ooh… that wasn't the normal reaction. Why'd he tense up like that? And why'd his voice get so high?

"You alright there?"

"S-Sasuke," Naruto laughed nervously, "do you actually mean all that? What you just said I mean."

"Although the police will disagree, I'm not known to lie," Sasuke said rather bored. "Why?"

Oh sweet relief!! "Just asking. That's all." Did he really just miss that police part?

Sasuke only tsk-ed him. "You should know better than to try and cover up something like that. You totally freaked out. Why?"

"I said it was nothing, so drop it okay? I don't press when _you_ throw little fits do I?" He crossed his arms and heaved a huge huff of annoyance.

"Even though you should? No, I suppose not." Sasuke rolled over to his back again and placed his hands under his head. This was not how his Sunday mornings were supposed to be. Ever. He wasn't supposed to be woken up at eight something in the morning by some guy who had woken him up already at two. He wasn't supposed to be having lagging conversations that bored him _and_ made him think a little at the same time. And he wasn't supposed to be deprived of his sprawling space because someone else wanted to sit there. So right then, his morning sucked. It was time to change that. "Hey, Dobe?"

"What?" Naruto asked, somewhat annoyed with the choice name he'd received yet another time.

"You hungry?"

"I guess--"

"Then go eat." With a very swift move, Sasuke managed to roll all the way over onto his stomach and push Naruto off the bed, reclaiming his king-sized space. "So much better," he moaned, burying his face in the dark blue comforter.

Naruto stared at him in what seemed to be shell shock. He tried to crawl his way back on the bed, but Sasuke shoved him off. He tried to go around the other side, but, with much more force and pain, he was kicked back off. Again and again, he made attempts to get back on. But, alas, he was pushed back down every time. "Sasukeeeeee!!" he whined.

"Are you retarded?" Sasuke scoffed from his pillow. How he managed to get back in the proper sleeping position amongst all that is beyond human capability, but why burden yourself and question the impossible?

"Sasuke!!" he moaned again.

"What?" he practically shouted. "Can you not see that I want to slee-puh?"

"But Sasuke!!" Is it normal to sound like you're ten years younger than you really are?

"I said what dammit!!"

"I want you to come with me!!"

"I don't have to! Now, I'm trying to catch up on many lost hours of sleep Ru. Please let me."

"You don't have to stay if you don't want. I just don't know how to order or anything like that."

Heaving the biggest sigh ever conjured in his lifetime, Sasuke sat up and turned to face the blonde, evil glare firmly in place. "See the box over there?" he asked pointing to an intercom mounted on the wall near the door. Naruto nodded. "Go push the button that says 'kitchen.' Then, you tell them what you want. Got it?"

"Really? That's it? Oh cool!" Naruto rushed over to the little box and promptly pushed the button. But, nothing happened.

"You have to let go," Sasuke offered from the middle of his bed.

"Right." He did so and a few seconds later, a familiar voice came through.

"What would you like from us, Sasuke-sama?" said Ben through the intercom. He sounded oddly surprised. Naruto on the other hand, had no clue what to do next.

"Push the button to respond…" Sasuke said slowly.

"Gotcha." Naruto pushed the button again, then he waited just a second to speak. "Pancakes Ben!! Lots of pancakes!! Oh, syrup too." He let go.

As though he was shocked, Ben asked "Pancakes..? Naruto-kun, you still here?"

"Yes," he said sounding a little hurt. "Why, you don't _want_ me here?"

"Oh no, never that. It's just Sasuke-sama never calls us anymore. And if he does, it's definitely not from his room. So, when that light flashed I was a little taken back. Didn't think it was him, so I asked. Besides, he doesn't like pancakes."

"I see."

"So," Ben said around various kitchen noises. It sounded like he was grabbing things from here and there with his free hand. "Tell me. Why is a brilliant cook like you up there ordering?"

"I'll get lost," Naruto said with a cheesy smile that no one saw. "I only got there yesterday because I was walking _really_ fast since I was mad. I made about twelve wrong turns."

"Why don't you ask Sasuke-sama to bring you down?" Ben reasoned.

"'Suke-_chan_ isn't moving at the moment. I'm guessing I hit him too hard last night." Sasuke scowled into his pillow, but no one could see him. So, he lifted a leg and slammed it back down on the bed, resulting in a somewhat loud bang. Naruto only giggled and said a quick sorry.

"You hit him?" Ben asked in complete shock. "I didn't think it was possible to do that anymore."

"Well, really it was more like--"

"Shut your mouth or you die Uzumaki," the brunette growled from his bed. Unfortunately, Ben heard him.

"Is he threatening you?" he asked in clear surprise.

"He always is," Naruto answered honestly. Sasuke perked.

"Does he actually hit you?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't he?"

"Naruto!!" Sasuke shouted sitting bolt upright. "You can't say things like that!! People are going to think I'm abusing you or something!!"

"What? You don't think that, do you Ben?" Naruto asked through the tiny box. It took a while, but he got his response.

"Of course I don't," he said with a half-hearted laugh. "Sasuke-sama wouldn't hit someone that he obviously cares about like you."

"Cares about?" Naruto thought aloud.

"Ben! Shut-up!!" Sasuke ordered, but the button wasn't down at all. It was pushed as soon as Sasuke stopped.

"Whadda ya mean cares about?"

It sounded like there was a smile on the large man's face. "Sasuke-sama never brings people to his room. If someone was lucky enough to come to the house, they would stay, with him, in his study on the other side of the mansion."

"Really?" Again, Sasuke's protests were missed by the tiny white box.

"Mm-hm. And he never takes anyone, _anyone_, out in his Lexus. He got that one from his brother when he turned thirteen."

"What's that supposed to mean exactly? Everyone's been telling me about this Lexus, but I never get the end. What is so damn special about it?"

"Well, you see, Sasuke-sama and his brother were more like--" Naruto didn't get to hear the rest of Ben's explanation because the box was destroyed. Sasuke had broken it. Yup. He threw the glass of water that was on his nightstand, or what was left of it, at it, and the glass shattered, spilling its contents all over and sending shards all through the box. That wasn't a very good move on his part. Naruto got shaken up over that one. Very. When the box got hit, everything seemed to move in slow motion for him.

He saw images from way back when flashing across his eyes. He remembered when he first met Iruka. He remembered when his grandpa had helped him through some of his more sticky problems. Hell, he even remembered when Konohamaru first came into the police department. But then, all his happy thoughts started rolling downhill. That's when he saw the glass actually shatter.

He thought for sure that that it was going to come up and hit him. Luckily, as large as his eyes were at the moment, he wasn't hit at all. But, that didn't stop from bringing back terrible memories. Memories of a night that sent the rest of his life spiraling downward. Memories that taunted him when he told himself that he was a good person. The kind of memories that say you're one of the worst people out there. He was remembering _that_ night. The one night that he blamed himself for. Even though he couldn't have possibly done anything to bring it about, he felt that everything was his fault from that day-- the day that shows up in his dreams and quickly jumps to a terrible nightmare.

Sasuke watched the screaming boy grab his head and collapse to his knees. After he stared for a few moments in his perplexed state, he decided to make his way, slowly, over to the blonde. "N-Naruto?" he called out from a few feet away. Hell, he was worried, but he didn't want his own skeleton found mangled on his bed. "Naruto?" he called again.

Suddenly, the boy stopped shaking and sobbing. He stood and balled his fists at his side. Shaking his head, he turned around and wiped the tears from his eyes. "He's so easily excited," came his voice, but it wasn't cracking and high like when he normally cries. "Looks like Nikko isn't up yet."

"Ah…"

"Yes, it's me," Kityasha stated in a dull voice. "Can't you tell?"

"No, I can't really see the eyes through the blotchiness. Sorry."_ Why's he have to be so arrogant toward me all the time?_

"Oh. So you've figured out one the slight difference we all have, hm?" Sasuke nodded as Kityasha made his way over to the computer desk. Their voices seemed to differ a bit as well, he observed. The blonde grabbed a tissue and dabbed at his face until he thought it would look okay. "You know," he said turning his head to look at the other teen with fierce, steel-blue eyes, "that wasn't a very good thing to do."

"I figured as much."

"No. You didn't." He combed his fingers through his hair and took a seat at the computer chair. "I mean, it wasn't a good thing to do for him at _all_. He's going to be very downcast and jumpy when he comes back around you know. Kid doesn't do too well with glass as you can plainly see."

"Is there a reason for that?" Sasuke asked, bending over to start picking up the glass. Luckily, there weren't any small pieces; everything was easy to pick up since it was in chunks. He caught sight of the kittens huddled under his bed. They were shaking. So, he reached into the drawer of the bed side table that the trashcan was next to and pulled out a rubber band ball. He rolled it to them, and they pounced on it.

"Of course there's a reason you dumb shit," Kityasha spat out. "He's not just some spastic retard that does these things on a whim because it's too loud or something."

"Well I know that!" Sasuke scoffed back as he dumped the glass. "But, he's keeping everything a secret from me. Everything that really matters, everything I need to know—he isn't telling me anything."

Kityasha smirked as he crossed his legs and leaned one of his elbows on his raised knee. He placed his chin inside his cupped hand and tilted his head. "Does it bother you, Uchiha?"

_Why does he look so smug?_ "Does what bother me?"

"Not knowing about Naru-chan's past. You seem to be a little upset about it."

"Of course it does," Sasuke growled. "I hate not knowing things about him."

"Gee," Kityasha stated with an interested look, "you make it sound like the two of you are lovers, Uchiha."

Sasuke was careful to hold his blush down a bit. "Shut up you crude bastard. It's not like that, and you know it."

"But… You wish it were right? Or am I getting the wrong signals up in his head?" He rolled his eyes up to the ceiling and blew a puff or air at his bangs. "That _is_ the way he takes it. If he's got the wrong idea, you might want to fix that."

"Who says he's got the wrong idea?" Sasuke asked in his normal tone. "He's the one who's not interested." Once he made sure all the glass was up, he made his way over to his bed and flopped onto it. "I can't change that though, so I might just stop bothering him about the subject."

"You're just going to give up?"

"Yeah. I don't want Naruto to feel awkward when we're working on the project. I figure I can give it a break for a little while." How is it that it was so easy for him to talk to this guy? Sure, he _looked_ like Naruto, but Sasuke knew that he wasn't. So, why wasn't there any problem telling him these things? Oh well, he wouldn't get in trouble or anything because Kityasha wasn't telling Naruto that they have conversations together. He was sure of that.

"You? Really?"

"Yes dammit." He shut his eyes against the morning light and sighed. "I have another reason too though. I've always said that I won't change for one person. But… I realize that I already have. I need to stop that before something happens and I lose sight of what I really want in life."

"And that would be..?" He sounded a bit closer.

_Maybe he's just speaking louder because he thinks I'm sleepy._ "Really, I just want to find my no good brother. He left a while ago." He frowned behind his closed eyelids. "I just want to ask that bastard a question that's been bothering me since he left me in this Hell."

"Why are you so bent on asking him? Is it really that important?"

"Yeah. I need to ask him what he was thinking when he--" Poor Sasuke got cut off. He got slapped for the third time that weekend. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he shouted, sitting up to glare at his attacker. "Dammit!! What was that for?!"

"I asked for a yes or no. Besides, Kid told me he wanted to do it."

"What?!"

"Naruto said that he wanted to hit you. It was subconsciously of course, but he did say that he wanted it done." Kityahsa put on a goofy smile. "Besides, I didn't really want to know what you wanted to ask your brother. That's not my place."

"So you just slap me to shut me up because Naruto wanted to hit me, and you didn't want to hear me whine about my family, huh?"

"Exactly."

"You're both morons," Sasuke grimaced as he lay back down again. Unfortunately, a very offended Kityasha saw fit to sit on his waist. "Mind getting off?"

"Tell me how we're morons then."

"What?" Sasuke raised his lip in disgust and disbelief. "Get off of me."

"Come on. Just tell me," the blonde demanded, getting closer and closer to his face with ever syllable. "We aren't stupid, so why are we morons?"

"Swear you'll get off afterward?" He got a nod in response, so Sasuke continued. "You're a moron because you'll listen to anything Naruto says."

"And Naruto?"

"He's a moron because… Ah… His test scores say so."

"That's no good Uchiha. You know he freezes up on tests. He can't help it. But he is smart if you take those things out."

"Then… he's a moron because… be-cause…"

"You don't have a real reason do you?"

"Yes I do! He's a moron because he doesn't think anyone gives a damn about him!" Sasuke sank back into the pillows. He hadn't meant to be so loud.

Kityasha sat the frail, blonde body up. "Mind playing that back for me?"

"Well…" Sasuke wiggled a bit under the slight weight. "The other day he was leaking out all this shit, and he was begging me to knock him out. And he was always really wary when I said it was okay or showed him I cared in some way. Makes me think he feels like there isn't anyone out there for him."

"Well… you're half right. He does feel that way, but it's sort of true too."

"What is?"

"Hm? He hasn't told you yet?" Sasuke shook his head. "Well, it isn't in my power to release something like that either. Sorry Uchiha."

"Oh come on. It's not like he's going to eat you or something."

"Maybe, but I'd rather not get yelled at by him. It's bad enough when Nikko does it. I don't need more flames under my ass."

"Some help you are," Sasuke said with visible sarcasm. "I figured since he didn't tell me you might. I would be really grateful to know _something._"

"Aww… Is Uchiha pouting because he's clueless about his love?"

"Of course I am! Who wouldn't be?"

"Ho!! So, you really do like him huh? You don't just find him attractive anymore?"

"Anymore? It's been that way since middle school. It's just… well, I can't exactly date him you know. Besides, being ahead of my class and the sophomores? I don't think I'm going to have much time for something like that."

"Why can't you date him again?" Kityasha asked as he pulled on his hair. "Hey, is this stuff _always_ in the way like this?"

Sasuke sighed. "How long are you out here again? It's been a while."

"Until Kid comes back around. I don't know how long that'll be. He was pretty freaked to switch over that quickly though… So my guess is a good five minutes more."

"God… My Sundays are so _not_ supposed to be like this."

"Oh come on. I'm sure if you ask him something, Kid will probably tell you. But… you might want to make him feel a bit better first."

"Well I only assumed as much."

"Hey, is there a _reason_ no one's come up here yet? I've been around in this world long enough to know that the buzz-box down there in the kitchen had to zap or something."

"Well they obviously don't care if I'm alive, do they?" All he got in response was an 'oh,' so he added on to it a bit. "Or, they might think I'm ravishing Naruto. I mean, he did use his little pet name before I killed the box."

"People here know that you're gay?"

"No, but they like to joke that I am. That goes all the way back to Itachi though."

"And this joke came about… how?"

"You don't really need to know that, do you?"

"Well, I suppose not. But I'm going to find out one day, I'm quite sure of that."

"Really? And what tells you that you're going to find out about my deep, dark past, hm?"

"Well, you're no doubt going to tell Naruto one day, aren't you? I mean, he is going to ask, and I doubt you're going to say no." He had a strange smirk on for some reason.

"What's with the smile?" And then it was gone.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. I was just thinking about something."

"And that would be..?"

"Hey, what do you think Kid's going to say when he comes back to?" Kityasha asked, totally evading the subject.

"I don't know. He'll probably ask where his pancakes are," Sasuke said, deciding to play along. "Hey, what do you think I'll say when you finally get off of me?"

"You'll probably thank every god there ever was that I left at last."

"Care to see if that assumption is correct or not?"" the brunette asked hopefully.

"Not really, no." Sasuke frowned. "Aw… do you honestly want your fuck toy off?"

"One- you aren't my fuck toy. Two- neither is Naruto. Three- who the hell talks like that?"

"Me of course," the blonde replied, squishing his body against the paler one under him. "I guess I'm just a very mean person."

"I agree with you totally. Now I'm serious, please, get off," Sasuke said growing rather bored with the idea of Naruto's angrier personality raping him.

"But why? It's not gonna kill you, is it?" Kityasha asked, poking his chest with two fingers. "It's not like I'm poison, am I?"

"No, but do you really have to touch me like that?" Sasuke demanded, glaring down at the offending fingers as if they were going to eat him alive.

"Like what?" the scarred one asked, cocking an eyebrow in confusion. "I'm not touching you like anything but poking." Sasuke laid his head back and groaned in defeat. Sadly for him, that led to the spread of a smile across Kityasha's face. "But you know..."

"Huh?" That didn't sound good.

"I _could_ touch you more like this." His smile turned to a wicked smirk when he saw the look of utter surprise on Sasuke's face after he'd pinched his nipple with the same two fingers.

"W-what the hell?!" the distraught boy shrieked picking up his head like a lightning bolt out of Hell. He couldn't sit up because a person was on him.

"What? Reap what you sow pretty boy. How long have you been doing this to him again?"

"Well, yeah but... you know another saying is two wrongs don't make a RIGHT!!" He got bit this time around.

"Of course I do. But that contradicts with don't get mad, get even."

"You know," Sasuke said as he cringed at another teasing touch, "I really don't think I like you."

"Maybe... But at least I haven't totally molested you yet, right?"

"Excuse me?" Sasuke chirped.

"You got very lucky," the blonde said with a smile as he eased off. "Naruto is pulling really hard to get back in here."

"And you're not letting him now because..?"

Kityasha leaned over again, this time only a hair away from his nose. "Unlike Naruto, I actually _am_ gay. I enjoy this."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you just an isolated section of his personality?" See, Sasuke was actually a bit shocked at that, but he couldn't reveal it to his attacker. Oh no, that's the third rule of martial arts; show no fear.

"No. I'm not. I'm totally different. I was _created_ by Naruto. In no evolutionary way am I part of him."

"And you told me this because..?"

"Because you're damn sexy Uchiha." Sasuke didn't know anything else to do but stare as the blonde got off and walked back over to the chair he'd sat in earlier. "Oh, one more thing. Make sure you never confuse the three of us."

"Three?" Sasuke called, sitting up after recovering from his stupor.

"Forgot about Nikko? Yeah... Pansy hasn't come out yet. Don't worry, the two of you'll meet one night. Could've been last night, but you were brooding at the window. But, make sure you don't get us mixed up. Kid will call you crazy. And me and Nikko? You just won't like it. Okay?"

"...Right."

"I'll see you later, Uchiha." With a final wink and a wave, Kityasha was, as Sasuke assumed, gone at last. Thankfully, he was right. The sitting form in the chair stilled, and Sasuke sighed in ultimate relief. He happily slammed back to his bed and pulled his cover over him, just in case. Rolling over, he poked his abused nipple and hissed at it in his mind. Damn it to hell for getting hard in that situation.

"Sasuke?" He perked up when he heard the actual Naruto call his name. When he saw a black head of spiky hair pop out from under the covers, the blonde stood up. "Sasuke... did I uh... pass out again?"

"Yeah," was what Sasuke decided on using as his _lie_ for the day. Looks like the police were right about him after all.

"Oh," was all Naruto said in his normal pleasant tone as he made his way over to the bed again. After he sat down, he continued. "Sorry."

"Sorry?"

"Yes. Sorry. Did you not understand it?"

"Oh yeah, I did. It's just... what are you sorry for?"

Naruto smiled and stretched out on the bed. "For being out so long."

"That? That's fine." Sasuke watched him close his eyes and turn his head into the sheets. Didn't Kityasha say that Naruto was going to be derailed and melancholy? He did say that it was going to be Hell to get him back to normal, right? "Hey Naruto?" He didn't get a response, so he moved over and nudged him on the shoulder. "Naruto?"

"Yeah?" he seemed to croak out. Croak?

"Naruto, are you alright?" He got a nod from the turned head, but he wasn't going to buy that. "Tell me the truth. Are you really okay?"

"Gah... yeah, I'm fine now. My throat just hurts." He did sound kind of hoarse now.

"From..?"

"Screaming, dumbass."

"Oh. Hey... about that..." Sasuke began as he made his way over to the relaxing blonde. "Plan on telling me your issue so I don't cause something like that again?"

"I don't like glass. More specifically: broken glass. Period. End of story."

"I deduced as much. But Ru, how am I supposed to keep you happy if I don't know what makes you so upset?"

"Be careful about what you do."

Sasuke sighed before he climbed over Naruto and laid next to the small body so that he had to face him. "Why won't you just tell me? I don't want to send you into harm-inducing spasms on the regular basis."

"I don't know _how _to tell you," Naruto said as softly as he could and still be heard. He opened his eyes a little and gazed down at the sheets.

Sasuke put on a worried scowl since Naruto was no doubt refusing to look at him. "Naruto... Just tell me why you don't like the glass? I'm not asking you to tell me everything that happened; just that."

"Why are you so bent on finding out?"

"Because you screamed until you passed out. That was a quick transition too. Not only that, you've got problems with a lot of other things. I don't want to make you miserable with my own ignorance." He reached over and lifted Naruto's hand before just dropping it on his side again. "I'm already worried enough."

"Sasuke..." What was he supposed to say? He wanted to tell him, really. But, Sasuke just might high-tail it after hearing what happened. "I just... I can't."

"Naruto..." Sasuke didn't care anymore. He had human emotion, and he was going to show it dammit. So, he let his frown become visible, and he tilted his eyebrows upward. Then, he put his arm around the slender waist in front of him and pulled it close. Resting his forehead against the much tanner one, he continued. "Please, just tell me. You said you wanted to tell me something soon, didn't you? Why can't you do it now when it's important to both of us?"

"I do want to tell you. Honestly." Naruto shifted a little and looked up at Sasuke at last. "I just... I don't like to talk about that. Ever. It's even worse since my throat hurts though."

"Just tell me Ru. It's not like I'm leaving you in the rain because of anything that happened in your past. I'd never ditch you over something so trivial. I can promise that."

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered as he shifted uncomfortably again, "why do you have to make it sound like we're lovers?"

_Jesus... Are all of them out to get me?_ Sasuke thought grimly to himself. Disregarding the idea to pull Naruto's hair until a certain subconscious being came out screaming, Sasuke sighed a bit. "It's not like I'm trying to. I just want to know."

"Why do you want to know so badly?"

"How many times are you going to ask me that?" the brunette asked a little tired of the same question over and over. Naruto groaned miserably for a reply. "Naruto, just tell me. It won't kill you."

"You're right, it won't kill me. But you know what? I don't want to talk about something like _that _right now. It's a waste of breath if it's something unbecoming."

"Arguing is a waste as well."

"It passes time."

"But... Naruto..."

"Hey, can I tell you some other way then? And if you don't get it... I'll tell you with words."

And pull the shocked face. "Really?" Sasuke couldn't believe that he'd cracked that quickly. Well, it wasn't so quick, but it was quicker than he had expected. After receiving a nod, Sasuke believed him. "Alright. How am I to learn about Uzumaki Naruto's past other than from him?"

Naruto sat up. "I'm going to allow you the chance to look at one of the pages in my notebook of course." Sliding off the bed gracefully, he made his way across the plush carpet. He still sounded hoarse but made an attempt to come off as cheery. "Don't get used to it though. The only reason I'm letting you look at this is because my throat hurts."

"Most angst, huh?" Sasuke quirked from the bed, watching Naruto kneel by his book bag.

"More?" Naruto paused and looked up from his searching. "You know about that?"

_Aw damn… You did it again Uchiha… Idiot. How many times are you going to incriminate yourself?_ Sasuke sighed for the umpteenth time that weekend. How to get out of this one? He sat on the bed thinking of every way to maneuver himself free of a very soon coming accusation.

"Are you going to answer me?" Naruto asked without changing his tone.

"Oh. Yeah… Do you want the truth with that question?"

"Of course."

Sasuke frowned. Why'd he even bother to ask? "I go through your reports often." Most people would have lied anyway, but he's been doing that enough lately. "Your behavior reports I mean. Most of them are from Umino."

"Does he really send in reports on me?" Naruto asked, clearly shocked.

"Yes. Why does that surprise you? You've seen how protective he gets."

"Well, yes, but I didn't think he actually turned those things in. I mean, I sit next to him and watch while they get made." He turned back to his bag and began digging again. "I always thought he was just trying to scare me."

"Oh. Well, they don't really say much anyway. Only clips from one of your angst things. I guess he likes your privacy just as much as you do."

"Hm… maybe. Oh hey! I found it!" he exclaimed as he pulled out the orange spiral bound five-subject.

"That's where you keep your things?" Naruto nodded. "So that's what was in there… Well hell, I was wondering why you had a death grip on it the other day. You gonna give it to me?"

"Now hold on," the blonde boy rasped out. "What do you mean give it to you? I'm going to sit next to you while you look at it. Sorry, but no one just gets hands on my notebook when I know about it." Sasuke frowned at the small lack of trust, but he decided to throw it aside since it looked like he would most likely kill anyone over the thing. Naruto smiled when he saw that there was no resistance in his holding the book next to him. He cleared his throat then started talking again. "Now, you wanted the one about my unimaginably horrid nightmares, ne?"

"Didn't you say that you didn't want to talk too much?"

"Yes, so just give me an answer." Sasuke nodded, so he started flipping through his pages quicker than Sasuke's eyes could follow. Sasuke was only able to catch small glimpses of pictures and words as they whizzed by. He stopped so suddenly, that the brunette almost didn't catch it. "There ya go 'Suke," Naruto said leaning over a bit to offer a better look.

"Hn." Sasuke leaned over to read, but a tanned arm was in the way. "You have to move this," he said as he pulled Naruto's limb off the notebook and placed it between them. He saw him make a move to grab the book again. "Nope," the elder interjected. He slipped his own arm around the slim waist right in front of Naruto's armpit.

"Sasuke! I told you that I have to hold it!"

"I'm not going to touch it. Your arm was in the way," Sasuke explained patiently.

"It's just a picture," the blonde growled. "I would have just moved you know."

"True. But I like the excuse that lets me hold you much more." Naruto just groaned and looked away. "Get over it already. It's not like I'm going to stop completely."

"Yeah, yeah. Here, just look at the the and tell me that you don't get it."

"What makes you so sure that I won't get it?" Sasuke asked. "I think I'm offended. I'm ahead of the sophomore class, so why wouldn't I?"

"Abstract."

"Oh. I still think I could get it though."

"Not unless you read one of the poems I wrote before."

"Which one?"

Naruto scowled. "You make it sound as if you've known of them forever."

"No. But they are titled aren't they? If not, Umino sure titles them for you."

"Shut up and just look at it," Naruto huffed and he shoved the book up under Sasuke's nose. Sasuke just gently lowered it back down.

"I can't see it if it's smashed into my nose," he calmly explained. Ignoring the annoyed pout on Naruto's face, he tried to take in the picture for all it was worth. That wasn't much to him. The picture wasn't that comprehendible, so there wasn't much to look at. In the dead center of the two pages was a rose. Some petals had fallen and were stuck to what was supposedly the ground by glass shards. That was explanatory enough. It was the next part that really got him though. Completely across the top of the page was an upside down garden-string of other various flowers. But, there was one more that was set in the background of the original rose that was actually right side up. Unlike the larger one though, this one was intact, save for numerous pins stuck into the head. The last elements in the quickly drawn work were the dark clouds that seemed to be spilling out everything but rain.

"'Suke? You still there?"

"What-the-hell?" Sasuke muttered turning the book at an angle in the other boy's hold. He sighed after giving up when two more minutes had passed. "Alright, I give. Explain?"

"Alright." Naruto managed to pull his arm out from behind Sasuke and close his notebook shut. "Like I said, you didn't get it. Now, forget the book." He scooted off the bed and actually crawled his way over to the book bag. After sitting up slightly to put the book away, he glided back to the bed and rested his elbows on Sasuke's knees. Placing his chin on his arms, he asked, "Ready for a flashback from me?" Sasuke nodded, and Naruto slapped him on the knees as he sat up and _bounced_ to full height. "Okay then. Get ready to be horrified."

"You're really going to tell me?" Sasuke asked after the blonde had sat down next to him.

"Yes."

"But… why? I thought that you didn't want to tell anyone. And… isn't it like… I mean, we just made up didn't we?"

"True, but we were friends before, and around middle school was when you went bizarre—not too long ago. That being said… I don't see a problem. And besides, something just says to tell you now."

"Really?"

"Yup, and I always go with my instinct."

Sasuke had a look of sheer disgust when the ideas of a certain subliminal influence helping him with his affairs. "Well, I'm glad you'll at least tell me."

"Great. Now, pay attention please. I don't want to repeat any of this because you just happen to zone out. It isn't a fun thing to do with this irritation to my throat."

"Well, you'll be happy to know that I have no intention of blowing off such an opportunity, ne?"

"That's perfect. But, before I start," he sighed, "do everything you have to now. Once I stop, I'm done. I don't find talking about anything involved in this story as enjoyable."

"Must you always play the martyr?"

"As you'll soon find out, I don't play it."

"Yeah, yeah." In one movement, Sasuke managed to turn, push Naruto down, roll him over, and lay next to him. "I hope your story isn't as boring as your monologues," the brunette declared as he flopped his right arm across his comrade's back. After planting a light, chaste kiss on his temple, the Uchiha said, "Now, enlighten me on your oh so tragic past."

"If you get nightmares, it's not my fault."

"I'll keep the warning in mind."

* * *

yay!! past! past! past!! it's coming!! yay!! now you get to know what happened to da poor widdle babii!! weee!! and ooooh.. i got reviews last time... YAY!!!!! I would give you a litte... preview but... nah :P


	14. Flashback

Well, there ya go lovelies. I tried to get it up sooner, but stupid FF wouldn't let me upload a thing for some reason. Mmmm... I was a bit ooff my rocker when I did this. Sorry if it's unclear ;

* * *

((STILL MY POV))

Sleeping snuggly in his bed, the six year old Naruto was content to continue dreaming. Sadly though, nature was calling. Like any other normal six year old, he got up and went to the bathroom. Like any other six year old, he looked in the mirror before he went back to sleep. On his way out of the door, he heard a sound. Like any other six year old, he wanted to see what it was. But, Naruto wasn't like all the other inquisitive children. He was curious, but he was far more tired. So, he went back to sleep. Unfortunately, that noise did not cease. Heaving a huge sigh in his childish pout, he marched to his door. Before he made it to the end of the hall, he heard a voice shout to him.

"Naruto!! Stay back there!!" his father ordered. Naruto stopped at the corner and thought for a second. When was the last time he'd actually heard his father yell at him for any reason at all? He couldn't even remember.

"Daddy, why are you yelling?" he called as he put his hand on the end of the hallway.

"Naruto just listen!!" his mother cried.

"Mommy? You sound scared." He put his foot to the end of the hall.

"Naruto!" his father yelled again. "Just stay! Don't come out here!" He heard him cough then stop.

"Daddy?" he called out as he finally turned his head around the corner. His breath escaped him. He shrieked what seemed to be no coherent wording until he was kneeling besides his wounded father. "Daddy!! What happened?!"

"Didn't I tell you not to come out here!!" he shouted, bringing his hand hard across his son's face.

Naruto was shocked. So shocked, in fact, that he started bawling. "What did I do?! I didn't do nothing!! All I did was get scared 'cause of Mommy!! I hate you!!" The little blonde kid stood up and turned until he saw his mother. He ran to her and sat on her lap. "Why'd he hit me Mommy?"

"Naruto," she whispered, "why didn't you listen to us?"

He looked up and stared at her. It wasn't because she was siding with her husband, it was more so because of what she looked like. Her pretty blonde hair was knotted and uneven. There was blood trailing from her mouth, and it was dripping down her chin. She had some bruises and a black eye too.

"M-mommy... what happened?" he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't be scared Baby," she said as she layed her head on his. He hadn't noticed that she was bound. "Just go back to your room and get out of the house. And hurry!" she added with emphasis.

"Mommy... why?"

"Naruto, just listen to her, son," his father said from his spot on the floor. He'd managed to move over next to them on the wall. Now, Naruo actually took the time to look at his father. He had blood coming down in a trickle over his forhead. His nose and mouth were bleeding too, and he had bruises. But, he had extra cuts on his hands.

"Daddy!! Why are you guys so hurt? What happened?" Naruto cried out as tears started to collect on his lashes.

"Naruto just go!" his mother shouted through sudden sobs.

And now, his childlike antics were kicking in. "But why? What's going on Mommy?"

"Naruto!! Why can't you just listen this once?!" his father cried out. "Just go before they come back! Go now!"

"Oh yeah!!" Naruto shouted back. "Where am I going then, huh?!"

"Just... go to Grandpa's house!!"

"Why? I don't want to leave you and Mommy when you're hurt!"

"Naruto go now!!" his adult look-alike screeched as he pulled him from his mother. "Get out and go to your grandfather's house!" Naruto collected himself from the floor cradling his injured hand. He'd fallen on it, and now it was going to be bruised and swollen. Tears welled up in his eyes again, but no words were released. He ran back down the hall in a flee of terror at his father's behavior. He'd never been hit. He'd never been yelled at. He'd never been denied knowledge either. Whether or not it was for his own good, he didn't care. He just wanted to get the hell away from them.

After he'd gabbed a few things and put them in his backback, devoid of all school supplies, he shifted himself from his bed to his windowsill. The house only had one floor, so he would only land in a bush then rush down the street. Once hoisted up, Naruto crouched into his jumping position. Ready to spring into his leap, he felt a tingle in his gut. Just before he jolted off of the sill though, he heard a crash in the front room. He hopped down and deposited his backpack on the floor, jetting to his parents. Little kids have a short attention span.

Reaching the limits of the hall, he stopped again. He listened tentively before he decided to do anything else. One of the rare moments when children have sudden pangs of intelligence. Perking his ears to his best capabilities, the little boy honed in on the noises coming from around the corner.

"Who was it?!" he heard someone shout.

"We weren't talking to anyone!! We swear!!" he heard his mother cry.

"Don't lie!!" the gruff voice ordered. "Fine, you won't talk? Tell me then, who is this? Looks like your kid to me."

"He's at his grandfather's," he heard his dad say with an even voice.

"Is that so?" There was a pause where, Naruto supposed, his parents gave some kind of silent answer. "Are you sure?" What was he getting at? "Alrighty then." Naruto listened for him to say more, but nothing else was said. He did however, hear a thump. Then another. Louder, and louder. Then it occured to him; footsteps.

He stood there, frozen in fear as the steps grew closer with every passing second. As soon as he believed the pouding had come close enough to eat him, they stopped.

"Naruto run!!" before he could even process his father's words, he was grabbed by the hand that lurched around the corner. He didn't know he was being pulled through the air until he came to a stop. Choked by the collar of his own shirt, Naruto kicked in an attempt to get free, but that only resulted in his captor using his other arm to pull him close to his chest.

"No one huh?" Naruto wished he could open his eyes to get a look at the man holding him, but he was being deprived of that with the arm that tightly held him in place.

"Just leave him alone," he heard his father plead. His mother's sobbs of him not listening could be heard faintly in the background of the commotion. "He hasn't done anything."

"But neither have you," the man reasoned. "Is this who you kept telling to get out? Looks like the kid in the pictures. Am I right?" He recieved no anwer but the mumbling of Mrs. Uzumaki. "Will you shut up woman?! Do it now or I'll just off the kid!!" She was silent. "Ph... so that works for you?"

"What are you planning to do?" Naruto heard his father grind out.

"Me? Oh, I'm not planning on anything. I _intend,_ however, to give you hell. It's like this you see." The man grabbed the family portrait from the mantle and tossed it to the floor. Picking up one of the glass shards, he stood and continued with it pointed at Naruto's throat. "We want: what you have in here. You want: your son alive and unscathed."

"W-what?" Naruto heard his mother whisper.

"You heard me. I want everything. Then, I let the kid go. You two? I'm not so sure." Naruto forced his eyes open. He made to turn his head, but his father's shout not to move got his attention first. That was a lucky thing too. As soon as he started the twist, he felt a puncture begin right next to his jugular. "It's good enough to have the kid out though, right?"

Naruto listened and looked around through his tear-clouded eyes. The blur they gave off was enough to render anyone blind, but he could still make out the forms of his parents on the floor infront of him. He felt the choke on him ease up a little, but his arms were still pinned to his side. Being as helpless as any other six year old boy in this situation, he allowed a sob to tear itself from his throat. That's all.

"Hey!!" his captor shouted to the back of the house. "Did you find anything yet?"

__

"Yeah!" his assumed partner answered. "Looks like these guys are pretty loaded. They keep everything in the kid's room though 'cause I can't find the rest anywhere else."

"Sure there's more?"

"Yes dammit!! Check the pictures if you want. Gonna help me or not?"

"Yeah I'm comin'." Naruto felt the pressure at his neck ease away, and his vision cleared up a bit. "Is it really in there?"

"Yeah," his father grumbled.

"Well then, we'll be taking him for reassurance. If we don't find anything, well, you'll know." The lead robber sent him an smirk as he walked of, Naruto still firmly in his grip.

"W-what's that supposed mean?" his mother shrieked.

"I told you to shut-up woman!!" She settled instantly with a look of terror on her face. "Alright, now, I'll be back. Do yourselves a favor and tell us where everthing is?" They were silent. "You don't want to tell me?" He tightened his squeeze on the boy, and a scream erupted from his throat as his chest was compressed.

"Please stop it!" his mother cried. "We don't have it anymore! It's been gone since he was two!"

"Well that's not good." His grip didn't loosen, and Naruto panted for breath. The man sighed and said, "I guess we'll just have to rummage. Hopefully, we won't have to use the kid."

"Hopefully?" his mother all but whispered.

"No need to worry," he mocked as he turned toward the hallway. "We won't hurt him much if all goes well." He'd turned the corner before letting the teary-eyed woman make a sound. Naruto wiggled as much as he could to escape the hold as he was carried down the hall. Although he tried, he wasn't able to do anything to ease the slow suffocation.

Just when he thought he was going to pass out, the man set him down. Before he was able to asess the situation, however, he found himself bound and gagged. After blinking away tears of acid from his eyes, he gave the room a sweep. The men in masks were a cross the room and-- lucky! They sat him a few feet from his escape bag unknowingly. Making sure that they couldn't see him while they dug about in his toy chest, Naruto scooted over the twenty-four inches to the front pouch.

He was still young, so he could maneuver around with some flexability. Reaching behind him, careful to keep looking forward, the blonde boy unzipped the tiny compartment and pulled out a Swiss-army knife. Now, don't think he stole it from somewhere; his father had given it to him. Mr. Uzumaki was working at the police academy, as far as Naruto knew, and had given it to him for when he went out. He was supposed to have it if he was planning to go even as far as his grandfather's.

With a silent thought of joy, he flipped open his small knife and turned it up in his hands. Gently, and slowly, he cut through the ropes that bound his wrists. He paused and plastered a look of fear when one of the robbers turned to him with a scowl of hatred. The other one, the larger assistant thief, punched him in the arm and told him to pay attention. They turned back around and started pushing his bed from the wall.

With all the skill he posessed, Naruto reached behind his head and undid the handkercheif they had balled and tied. But of course, he was cursed with the occational instant of adorable childlike tendencies. As if on cue, a feather from the pillow the robbers had split came floating by. Like it were destined to happen, it passed under his nose and lingered in his left nostral. He tried to stop the itch by breathing slowly. Without warning though, a sneeze erupted him.

His luck was gone in an instant. The sneeze made him shudder, pulling his hands out in front of him and shaking his head. The moment he was hauled up from the floor, Naruto knew he was done.

"Smart kid huh?" the main man remarked.

"I don't think that's a good thing," the other, larger one replied.

"For once, can you _not _be so dumb? John, don't you think the boss would _love_ someone like this kid?"

"But, Derek--"

"I know," Derek said with a sigh. "We've got to get 'em... He did a damn good job on these ropes though. Kid, how'd you--?" He caught sight of the knife behind his back. "Oh, you're one of those 'prepared' kinds, huh?" He snatched the knife and examined it.

"Give it back!" Naruto shouted, twisting in his grasp. Derek flicked him on the forehead.

"Shut-up. God, you're like that woman."

"Don't talk about my mom!" Naruto's trashing got a little wild, and he wound up kicking his captor in the ribs. "Serves you right after crushing mine!" he shouted after the man let out an agonizing groan.

"Damn you!" Derek said, shaking him with all his might. Naruto got dizzy and stopped. The robber pulled him close again, putting a restriction back on his breathing. Gasping for air, Naruto didn't think he was going to get out of that one so easily. With the little strength he had, he locked his teeth hard around Derek's arm.

Naruto hit the floor and landed on the same bad hand after being dropped. He let out a yelp of pain before grabbing his knife and bag again. He raced as fast as his kiddy feet would carry him to the front room. He didn't here John, the larger man, behind him though. Just before rounding the corner, he was swooped into the air again. John brought him to the the front and waited for Derek.

When he arrived, he said, "Look dammit!" He grabbed Naruto from his partner and ripped the bag from his hands, tossing it to the ground. Getting possession of the knife again, Derek squeezed the small boy around the stomach, so as not to be bitten again. "Your kid is a damned nuciance!" he shouted to the distraught couple on the floor. John had made it his job to retie the blonde man.

"So what?" he asked from his restricted spot under them. "You got your shit didn't you? Get going!" There was an involuntary 'oof' that escaped him after John drove his foot into his stomach. He rolled to his side and ceased conversation.

"Actually," Derek started again, "we didn't find anything. This kid of yours served as quite the hinderence." He tossed the small knife to John and told him to watch it. He sat with his legs criss-crossed on the floor and propped Naruto up on his lap. "This is how it is. We'll let you see your kid while you still can, but he's got to match to fit in with the trio. Do you get it, or do I have to break things down for you?"

Somehow, Naruto's father had managed to regain his breath and sit back up. "We understand," he growled, "but you aren't touching our son, damn you!"

"But sir," Derek teased, reaching for a shard of broken glass again, "you won't see him anymore after this. I'll make sure of that. I've never had a problem with a job, but you people..." His voice trailed off and he mumbled to himself, twirling the glass in his fingers. After a while, he snapped out of it and said, "I'll do it anyway. Because you proved to be such a difficult house, I'll let you keep your kid while we loot you. Of course, I've gotta do something though. I mean, it's against my morals not to."

He placed the shard on the floor for a moment to grab a wad of a scarf out of his pocket and shove it in Naruto's mouth. "Listen kid," he said, "if you move, it'll hurt more. Now, I don't like screaming, so I gagged ya. If you do yell, it'll hurt more too. Try to keep quiet-- save us all a headache."

"Don't touch him you fucking bastard!!"

"Hey!! Mr. police-chief, shut the hell up!! I don't think you're in the position to make threats to follow up that order."

Regardless of the desperate father's shouts, Derek took the shard in hand. "Don't think of me as a sadist," he said over the shouts, "It's my job. Think of it like this: Your kid wiil always be recognized by those in our trade." He started humming to himself when he placed the point of the shard high on Naruto's cheekbone. The household went silent.

"I'll say it one more time," Derek said, "don't move." Naruto watched from the corner of his eye in horror as one sweeping motion drew out a clean slash to his jawbone. There was nothing for a second. Then another. Then the air started to feel cool. The small boy choked on his own breath as the burn of the fresh cut started to seep into his skin. At last, that scream tried to escape. It was only slightly muffled by the scarf. It started to hurt more after his shout stretched it further. He cried out louder to the new pain.

"I told you not to," Derek remarked with an odd grin.

"You're a fucking lunatic!!" Naruto's father shouted to the world that could hear. No one really did since it was nearly three in the morning though.

"Hey!!" Derek shouted back. "Last time I checked, you were tied up on the floor. You don't have room to make outragious declarations. I was going to be nice and just stop with that one, but you know. I think I changed my mind." He went down the same spot on the other side. Naruto shrieked again behind the scarf and fat tears finally began to roll down his chubby cheeks. The salty liquid mixed with his fresh blood and met in one glob under his chin.

"Leave him the fuck alone!!"

"You know," Derek began as he looked the boy over. "If I do stop, it'll be really half-assed. It'd look kind of stupid too." In his twisted mind, it was a justice to add two more slashes; one under each previous line. The moan-filled sobs from the small child were echoed by his mother's cries in the otherwise silent house.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" his father broke in. "Dammit! You can kill me if you want! Just, leave my kid alone! He's only six!!"

"Really?" John asked from his lookout position by the door.

"He's damn smart for a six year old. Crafty as hell. You know, he reminds me of a story my mom told me once." Obviously, this man was crazy if he could switch subjects like defacing a child and a bedtime story. "Yeah, it was about a fox actually. They're smart, right? I think this calls for some symbollism."

"God dammit!! Leave him alone!! Take your crazy ass somewhere else!!" A certain blonde man found himself breathless after a kick once more.

"Mm... I don't think so. But, I'll tell you what. If you can keep quiet, and your kid can keep quiet, we'll leave after I give these last two. Think you can do that?" he asked, directing the question to Naruto. Sadly, he shook his head, not even trying to dam up the tears that flowed from his eyes and disappeared down his red-stained cheeks. "Well, I think you should at least try. Depending on how you react, you might not see your mom and dad after tonight." And Naruto broke into an all out bawl.

"Why would you torture a child like that?!" his mother finally cried.

"Look woman, you've really been pissing me off tonight. Okay? I suggest you stop some time like now." He gave her his full attention for his next statement. "If not, I don't think you'll _have _the option to live though this night." She stopped, but Naruto started up louder. "Oh stop that. Remember what I said before?"

"Can't you just leave him alone?" his father beseeched. The anger in his voice was gone and replaced with a pleading, sob-touched tone. "Can you please just stop? You can do all that twisted shit to me, and I won't make a sound if you'll leave him alone."

"Really now? I don't think that's a bad idea... I still want to finish this off though." Without warning, he dragged the tiny piece of glass across the tiny boy's face one time on each side. The shock and sensation had come so fast, Naruto didn't know what to do. The stinging didn't come right away like it should have. It was delayed by the blood that had already been built up. As soon as the cuts were exposed, however, he screamed, and it didn't seem as though he was gagging on the scarf at all. Third time really was a charm. The accumulated pain from each slice had finally caught up to him, and he was giving hell to all that could hear.

"You sick, twisted fuck," the boy's father cried out. "How the hell can you do something like that?"

"Come now, it's not that bad. I think he'll look rather distinguished when he's older." Derek let the sobbing bundle off his lap, and it crawled over to its parents. Once he reached them, he took the scarf out, and Naruto wrapped his tiny arms as far around his mother as he could.

"I'm sorry!!" he shrieked. "I didn't listen. I was bad, so I'm in trouble right? I'm sorry. Please, make it stop Mommy? I get it now." She wanted to hold him, to pull him close to her and leak reassurances over his shoulder. Sadly, she was weak and unable to loosen her bonds. She settled for crying on his tiny shoulder.

"Naruto," his father called from his spot a few feet away. He looked up and made his way over while the rest of the small house was sacked. "Naruto, can you undo this?" the older look-alike asked, gesturing with his tied wrists. His son nodded and took to removing the knots. After a while, they were off. The only downside was that his feet were restricted as well. Unfortunatly, wire coil was hard to get off without slicing your fingers and hands. Free arms were good enough for him since he could hold his family together.

"Daddy," Naruto said, "why don't you just make them stop?"

He squeezed his son tighter. "I want to." He let go and held Naruto at arms length. After a decent scrutinization, he asked if his face still hurt. He nodded, much against his wishes, and winced when his father brushed at his cheek. He frowned, just making him wince more, when he caught a smile on the other face.

"What's so funny?" he asked his father in an annoyed tone that contrasted with his prominent fear.

"People can't say you look like your old man any more."

"That's not funny!" the six year old stressed.

"I know." He took a moment just to look at him before his order. At last he said, "You've got to get out now, son."

Fear plastered itself onto Naruto's face. "No!!" he shouted, throwing himself at his father's chest.

"But Naruto--"

"I said no!!" He pounded his fist as hard as he could into his collar bone. "I'm not leaving!"

"Naruto--"

"I said no dammit!!"

His father sighed and brushed through the young boy's hair with his hand. "You have to. Okay? There's no discussion. You have to get out, now."

"But Daddy," he sobbed from the broad chest, "I don't want to leave you."

"Naruto, go. Get out and run to Grandpa's house. It's two roads."

"I can't make it."

"You can," the elder said, wrapping his arms around his son. "It's not far."

"But I can't live without the two of you." The blonde man frowned in misery.

"Naruto," he started, "there are other people for you in the world, and, who's to say that you won't see us again? There's no reason to worry until everything's been done. Right now, we have to make sure that you don't get hurt any more than you already are though. So, you need to get going."

"But Daddy--"

"Don't worry about it until it's over." Naruto sat still for a while, not knowing if he should listen or hide where he won't be seen. "Naruto, get going."

"I'm coming back."

His father shook his head. "Wait until tomorrow. Okay?" He waited for a nod and then patted him on the head. "Good boy. Now, get to Grandpa's."

"How do I get out?"

"The same way they came in. Go out of our bedroom window. It's not far, remember?"

"Okay." The smallest Uzumaki stood from his father's hold and raced over to his mother. "I love you mommy." He didn't get an answer due to her hysteria, but that was okay. "You too Daddy," he whispered just before shooting to his parents' room and out the window. Once he hit the air outside, he hissed but was carful not to cry out. The coldness was enough to drive him insane, but he took off as fast as he could through his backyard and out to the sidewalk. After speeding the two blocks, he reached the house and slammed his tiny fist against the large door as hard as he could. When the old man finally came to answer, Naruto threw himself at his legs and sobbed.

* * *

I love it. well... there's more, I'm working on it. this hellacious weekend of theirs is almost over thank God. They'll hopefully be going back to school within the next two chapters. God, then I can get to the retreat and then... I'll be done! ... Maybe? ... YAY!! 


	15. Get it now?

woohoo!! I did it! yay!! i finally got it up here!! well uhhmm.. yeah... some spots get a little odd and hard for me to understand... i didn't feel like making it easy. I have homework. good-bye now. hope you like it!!

* * *

"Jesus," Sasuke muttered next to his small comrade. "So, what happened after that?"

"Well," Naruto sighed, "I went back like I said I would. Wish I hadn't though."

"Why?"

"Butcherrrrrrrrrrrred," he said, dragging out the second syllable. "Found Mom and Dad slumped over together. Guess John and Derek got a little pissed that I left." He rolled over and sighed again. "Cops say they used my knife instead. So, that just makes shit even worse. Still kept the damn thing though."

"Well damn. Never would have thought something like that." Sasuke thought on the new information while Naruto made himself busy with one of the kittens. Then everything clicked together. "Oh shit... Naruto," he called to the other side of the bed.

"Huh?" the blonde called back, ploppping the little feline on his chest.

"Is that why you showed up with stitches?"

"Mm-hm," the small boy answered from his antics.

"That's why you freaked about the glass?"

"Yup."

"That's why you don't talk about your parents?"

"...Yeah." He ran his hand over his kitten's back slowly before continuing. "There's nothing to talk about since they aren't around. I made sure that no one found out about it though. You can usually get what you want before the age of ten."

"So, what went on? There's no way they'd let you live alone."

"You're right. I stayed with Grandpa for a while. Soon, they figured out that I wanted to be independant, and I was well capable. The federal officers said that I could stay alone so long as someone agreed to check in on me everyday. I picked Iruka for that job." The lighter kitten jump onto his chest with her sister.

"Why?"

"He insisted on it. Said he owed my family a favor."

"Naruto, can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

Sasuke sat up to make sure he worded things right. "I remember you saying stuff about people not letting you forget something-- is that it?"

Naruto sat up now too, but he kept his hold on the kittens. "No. That's someting else. The whole whisker thing is just something in the theives' community. They like to single me out when they go mobbing. I never really carry anything though."

"That doesn't mean they stop looking though, right?"

The blonde nodded. "Right. That's how I got caught up in the other thing. _That's _what people don't let me forget."

"So, are you going to tell me what it is?" He thought he was doing pretty well, so he decided to get a few facts in.

Naruto threw him a small smile. "Not a chance!" he squealed, tossing the small felines at his friend. While Sasuke was under attack, the blonde bounded off the bed and raced across the hall. He grabbed his pants out of his assigned guest room and slipped into them. He made sure to stretch before stepping back in Sasuke's room.

"What was that for?"

"Nothing at all. But hey," the petite teen called as he leaned on the door frame, "where are my pancakes?"

"Idiot. They're in the kitchen," Sasuke stated, trying to get a look at the new scratches on his chest. "Dammit, you're lucky I don't scar, Uzumaki. I take some pride in my body thanks."

That piqued the small boy's attention. "You don't scar?"

"No," the brunette replied, swinging his legs over the edge of his bed. "I don't wear make-up to cover bruises and things like you."

"So then, what about in there?"

"In where?" the elder asked, cocking his eyebrow.

"Where you," Naruto rubbed his bare arm nervously, "cut yourself?" Sasuke just stared, and the blonde was quick to defend himself. "Well, you were talking about it like, if people saw, you might be in an unrewarding position."

"Oh. Well, I think that might be the only spot actually."

"Why?"

"The uhm, sun doesn't see it," the Uchiha announced awkwardly. "I've been doing that for so long, I don't think it can heal at the same rate as everything else."

"Oh." It was quiet for a while save for the purring of two sleeping animals. When it seemed, to him, that at least two minutes had passed, Naruto asked, "Can I see?"

"Excuse me?"

"Ahhhhh..." Naruto let a faint, pink blush speckle itself on his tanned cheeks. "N-never mind," he whispered trying to wipe off his goosebumps again.

"No, no, wait," Sasuke ordered with a slightly surpressed smile. "Did you just asked to see _there_?" he asked, pointing at the blushing blonde.

"Come on 'Suke, it's over."

"God, do you really want to?"

"I said it's over," the cerulean eyed boy stated with a frown.

"But did you?"

"It's over dammit," he mouthed slowly.

"I'll let you."

Naruto froze. That was so nonchalant. He even added a slight shrug when he said that. "What?" was all that Naruto could offer up.

"I said I'll let you. Just don't go bragging about it, you know? It'd be kind of weird having some guy telling people that he's practically seen my penis. If my memories serves, you still haven't up close."

"Aw man..." Naruto thought on it for a minute. He really did want to see, and he was offering. But then again, that would be a bit odd. "No thanks," he decided. Sasuke shrugged again and slid to sit on the floor. He reached under the bed and got out a pair of flip-flops. He pulled them on and made his way over to Naruto.

"Come on, I'll take you to get your breakfast," he said after gesturing to a pair of slippers by the door. Naruto put them on and followed him to the staircase. They started the long descent. "You know, Ru, that was kind of weird. How can you switch emotions like that? You just told me a gruesome story, and then you got cheery and threw cats at me."

"I told you that I didn't want to dwell on it. And, like I said it would, my throat hurts dammit. Don't talk to me until I drown myself in syrup."

"Really?" Naruto nodded, and Sasuke smirked from next to him. "I can talk, you just won't answer." Naruto made a noise in his throat that seemed like something akin to annoyance. "Don't be pissy about it. It's your fault for not telling me before hand." Naruto shot him a look. "Yeah... See, that could melt someone else who's a few points lower on the bastard scale. Me? I rule supreme."

"You're such an ass," Naruto whispered, careful not to upset himself again.

"Tch! Sure. I'm just the biggest ass you know huh?"

"No."

"... That almost sounded truthful."

"That's because it was moron," Naruto scolded. "And why the hell didn't you put on some pants or something?"

"I'm in my house. I dress how I want. Boxers and flip-flops are good enough for me." The blonde hurumphed and kept his eyes on the stairs in front of him. "Why are you so woebegone today?"

"'Cause it's Sunday."

"Point?"

"I have off Sunday."

Sasuke looked at him for the idiot he was sure he was. "Is that bad?"

"No, jackass. On Sunday, I'm usually home."

"...So?"

"So I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing."

"I don't get it," Sasuke said. "Am I lost? Or are you just bad at explaning things?"

"Okay look," the blonde began as they stepped off the last stair and onto the polished surface of the entrance hall. He kept his voice low to accomodate his throat. "Yes, Sunday is my day off, but, I use it to run errands. I get errands from three people after they drop them off. If I get them done, they give me something. Either a break from work or some privelege. They take most of the day unless I ask not to do them. Although, I don't think you can really count one of them. He's pretty decent with his requests."

"Do I... know these people?"

"Yes."

"I do?" the brunette asked in astonishment.

"Yes, you do. One of them is Iruka."

"And the other two..?"

"Are none of your business."

"Fine." They took a turn. "So, tell me who the biggest ass you know is."

"Since Friday, I'd say it's Kiba."

"I thought he was like your best friend or something?"

"He is. But, we played truth or day that day. He asked me the most mortifying question and then forced me to answer it."

Sasuke frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. "Sakura said you didn't."

A pair of blue eyes rolled to the ceiling. "Like I would answer in front of your fan-club. Either way I'd be mobbed. " He looked at his companion again. "I told him in history."

"And what did you tell him exactly?" Sasuke asked. "I remember him speeding up on my way to study hall. I think he was trying to talk to me, but you kept pulling him back. Any reason?"

"Well, what do you think if he was acting like that?"

"If you said yes, he was trying to tell me. If you said no, he was going to rub it in my face because someone so commonly mistaken as gay didn't find me attractive."

"Aw... That's not cool Sasuke. How can you possibly know us like that?" Naruto pouted. "We're supposed to be the unpredicatable retards."

"You're sadlly mistaken. I think that would actually be Lee."

"Oh come on. Lee isn't bad once you talk to him a few... dozen times," Naruto offered. "I mean sure, he's a little odd, but so are you."

Sasuke gave him look that matched perfectly with his question. "Are you... fucking retarded?" he asked, speeding up the last the two words as though they were one. "Last I checked, I was the most normal person in the damn school... including our freak teachers."

"You think so huh?"

"I do," the brunette replied rather defensively. "I don't run around shouting to people to be happy with their youth. I don't walk so slow that you'd think I'm standing still. I don't go around smelling like dogs. I don't look blind. I don't wear make-up. Who'm I missing?"

"Iruka," Naruto said, sure that nothing bad could be said about him.

"Right. I don't change emotions and break in and out of spasms because I hear two words I don't like."

"Sasuke, that's not cool. You just dissed some good friends of mine. And me!" Sasuke shrugged. Naruto whipped out a frown and assesed the situation. "You missed someone else, 'Suke-chan."

"Who?"

"Ha-ta-keeeeeeeee," he dragged out. "Didn't hear you mention him." Sasuke scowled and gave him a light shove. "Aww... Sore spot? I'm sorry. I should have assumed that you didn't want to say anything bad about your lover."

"Oh come on," Sasuke growled. "Do you really have to go that far every time?"

"No," the boy sighed. "It's funny though. I get mental images, and it just kicks my ass," he said chuckling to himself about one picture that stuck in his mind. A three-some. "God, it's hysterical!"

Sasuke chose to block out the yellow dot next to him until they made it back to the kitchen window. His bliss of free thought was short lived though since they arrived only seconds later.

"Alright!" the little teen cheered. "Food!!" Naruto raced over to the window and rapped on the door. When it opened up, he recieved a smile and a plate of ten flapjacks covered in syrup. "Thank god," he said as he sat down at the small table. They had a bigger one in the dinning hall, but this one was just for Sasuke in the mornings before school. "Ungrateful bastard," he mumbled at he chomped on his pancakes.

"What now?" the onyx-eyed boy moaned.

"I was thinking," the whiskered one stated as he began swinging his legs. "You've got all this, and you still come to school brooding and whining and snubbing people. What's up with that?"

"What's up with spitting food in my face?"

"Sorry," the younger said with his cheery expression still in place. "So tell me. Why do you do it?"

"Oh, I don't now," Sasuke said blandly, "maybe it's because I hate the world?" Naruto looked up from his plate and nodded to show that he had his full attention. "Well... I guess it's because I really don't want anything to do with anyone. Get too close and things end up bad for you."

"So," he shoved more food in, "where does that put Naruto?" He stopped for a second to swallow. "I mean, you _are _after me, aren't you?" He was sure to set his question perfectly for a specific answer.

Sasuke smiled and ruffled his hair from across the table. "Of course I am. You're at my table, aren't you?" He pulled back, crossed his arms, and rested his elbows on the table. "And you don't count anyway."

"Why?"

"Because you're my sexy play toy," he said in monotone, laying his chin down on his crossed arms. "You, my friend, are always exempt from worldly accusations."

"Well, that's not fair!" Naruto interjected. The syrup was making it easier to yell.

"Well think about it. I first noticed that I liked you when we were in --what?-- sixth grade maybe? Yeah, that's when I came back."

"But still. You don't know me well enough to exempt me," Naruto stressed. "You stopped talking to me since you left that winter. Remember? You went abroad and stayed behind with Itachi. Totally different person when you came back, but you weren't talking to anyone. Can you honestly say that I don't fall into categories other than tempting?"

"Must you always shoot me back down?" Sasuke groaned, rolling his eyes. "It's like, I can't say anything about you without you turning it on me."

"Well, duh!" Naruto laid his fork on his plate. "I mean, what am I supposed to do? You can't just assume things, Uchiha. It won't get you anywhere good, trust me! Making assumptions on someone's personality or lifestyle is one of the worse mistakes that anyone can make."

"And you know this because...?"

"Would I be preaching you on it if I didn't experience it first-hand?" He stood up and spread his hands on the table, a frown firmly painted in place. He leaned in a bit to make sure that Sasuke understood. "_Never_ assume someone else's intentions or state of being. Especially mine."

"Fuck. Okay, Ru. God, sit down," Sasuke said from his spot in his forearms. "I'm not doing anything life threatening at the moment," he said when he was once again seated.

"Oh sure. Cutting is nothing dangerous."

"Well why the hell does it bother you that much? It isn't hurting me."

"Because it isn't good for you, Teme." He scowled across the table at the lax boy. "And, if you haven't noticed, I don't want you dead quite yet."

"Yet huh?"

"Yes, Teme, yet. I could very well change my mind."

"No shit," Sasuke scoffed. "You seem to have been doing that a lot lately."

Naruto's frown dissolved away in his surprise. Once again, his childlike nature took over. "I have?" he asked in sheer ignorance. "When?"

_Aw damn... Did it again Uchiha. Shit! Starting to think Itachi was right..._ "I don't know," he said looking the other way.

"Sasuke," Naruto whined as he crammed food in his mouth again, "what is wrong with you? You claim to _like_ me, but you won't even finish a statement."

"Ah well."

"Hmp. You're so mean to me."

"Ah well."

"You're still an ass Teme."

"Ah well."

Naruto scowled. "I made out with Itachi last week."

"I pity you."

"What the hell?" Naruto moaned. "What's with your stupid mood swings?"

"Ha! Yeah, I have the problem with mood swings huh?" Sasuke laughed. "That's a good one."

"Dumbass," Naruto stated, scratching his leg through his pants. "Hey, gonna drop me off to pick up notes?"

"I guess. I mean, it's not like I go to church or anything like _that_."

His blue eyes widened since he hadn't bothered to think of that. "Oh God, I'm sorry! Do you?"

"Tch. No. I just lke screwing with your head. Not as much as you though."

"Oh gee, thanks," Naruto said with a slight touch of sarcasm. "So, are you going to?"

Sasuke shrugged his lax shoulders. "Why not?"

"Thanks! Dude, go get dressed so we can go."

"Getting a shirt?"

"Mm... No," the younger said. "I don't need one. So, hurry up so I can get these things done. You've got a car, so I might be able to finish before two."

"That's important why?" Sasuke asked as he raised himself from his chair.

"If I'm done early I can go see the boss," he cited, dragging out his last word. "If I go see him, I can asked for the month off to work on the stupid psychology project."

"Why didn't you just do that yesterday or Friday?"

"I didn't see him," the petite boy explained with a frown of annoyance. "Well, yeah, I did, but that wasn't the best time to do it."

Sasuke sighed and pushed his chair in. "Yeah, okay. I'll go get dressed.

"I'll be in your car! You can shower later."

"You need keys dumbass."

"No _teme_, I don't. I know the code for the touch keys on the door. So, NYAH!" he explaned, sticking out his tongue and waving around his fork.

"I didn't show you that," Sasuke said pinning him with his gaze suspiciously.

"I know. I guessed it though. Proud of me?"

Sasuke tsk'ed him as he made his way around the small table. "Hard to believe that you hated me only two days ago," he said as he lay a hand on the blonde yellow mob below him. "What did I do, hm?"

"I dunno," he responded, placing the fried batter in his mouth again. "But you know, if you're gonna do _that_, do it now and make it quick."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the Uchiha stated quite bluntly.

"What the hell? The one time I try to make things easy for you, you act like you don't know what I mean."

"You really are a moron," the brunette said more to himelf then his comrade. "We've got cameras, remember? Otherwise, I'd have no problem whatsoever."

Naruto craned his neck to look up at him. "Really?"

"Yes really," Sasuke said as he slowly knit his eyebrows together. "What the hell kind of question is that?"

"The kind that I wasn't expecting an answer to." He forced the pancakes down and continued his conversation. "Hey, why would you? You still haven't even given me a starting reason."

Sasuke laughed and ruffled the blonde nest under his palm. "The beginning reason has long since been forgotten. But, I would do it right now because, as I said at the hospital Friday, you're losing weight. Your pants don't fit as well as they used to."

"Really? I didn't notice," the younger said, cramming the last bit of his flap-jacks into his mouth. "Would you lookit that," he said once the food had vanished down his throat. "I'm done."

"That's great. You can leave the plate there."

"M'kay." Letting out a sigh, he said, "Well, might as well go upstairs with you. Guess I can get a shirt up there too now."

"Fine, let's go," Sasuke said with a beckoning gesture. He led his peer up the stairs and to his hallway again. Naruto went into his designated room and grabbed his shirt. He pulled the blue material over his head and apparated in Sasuke's doorway.

"Dude hurry up."

"Since when do you say dude anyway?" Sasuke asked from his bed. He stood to pull up his pants as Naruto came over to sit on the other side.

"Just feel like it today." He sprawled out on the king sized mattress and deprived his eyes of the dark blue canopy. Sasuke forced a shirt over his head and eyed the teen that was lounging on his bed.

"What's up with you?" he asked, turning back to iron out the emblem on his sleeve with his hand.

"I think I might be tired," Naruto said with a yawn. "I said that when I woke up, didn't I?"

"Oh, right." Sasuke leaned over and poked him on the forehead.

"What?" he asked through closed eyes.

"You don't hurt today, do you?" And his eyes shot open.

"W-what?" Naruto sputtered out in shock.

"Well, I've noticed why you uh, pass out."

"You have?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. And you aren't upset, you aren't mad... are you really tired, or do you hurt? That's what happened at Ichiraku, right? In the kitchen?"

"You saw that?" Sasuke nodded, and Naruto turned his head. "Naw, I'm fine. My stomach doesn't hurt at all today. I think I'll be good to go for a few hours. It didn't wake me up last night, so I bet I'm okay."

"Your stomach does that?"

"Yep."

"Ever hear the word 'doctor?'" he asked sarcastically.

"Not going." When prompted why, Naruto said, "Too scared."

"You work there."

"Big whoop. I don't want to get seen by a doctor. I don't want them telling me I'm dying or something."

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?"

"I know," the blonde responded with a smile. Sasuke took that as an invite to plop one right there on his lips.

"Aw geez, Ru."

"What?" he asked in annoyance. "I didn't just pounce on you."

"No, not that." Sasuke took a finger and poked the side of Naruto's bottom lip. He winced painfully. "What the hell are you so worried about that you chewed through your lip that bad?"

Naruto pulled his hand away from his mouth and frowned. "You, dumbass," he said somewhat angrily to mask his happiness. Who would have thought that Sasuke, of all people would notice that? "It was fine until you went missing and got drugged. It was already closed back up."

"Really?" Sasuke asked, the same emotionless face plastered on.

"Yes really."

The obsidean-eyed boy smiled then. "Is there a reason you're lying to me?" When he only got another shocked look from the boy under him, he said, "Yes, I know you're lying. And you aren't mad that I noticed it either. So stop acting."

"How the hell could you know that?"

"Because I know everything. Honestly though, it's because your ears wiggle when you lie."

"How the hell could you even notice that?"

"Because it always happened when you said you didn't want me in the hallways."

"Aw Sasuke, we almost had a moment there," the blonde said with the slightest hint of sincerity.

"I'm sorry, did I ruin your perfect romance?" Sasuke asked to humor him. He dropped a hand on his cheek and ran his thumb over a set of scars which, not that he was enlightened, held a whole new meaning.

"Mm... no. It still hasn't even come yet."

"Tell me, what do you want it to be like?"

"Oh, let's see," he said as he thought. He sighed in content before speaking again. "I know. I want to wake up every morning entwined with my lover by our limbs. I want us to go out for ice-cream during the summers and sit in together when it's cold outside. I want us to be able to tell each other everything so that we're never sad in company together. Then, one night after we've become the perfect couple, we'll pronounce our love for each other under the stars."

"Poetic ass," Sasuke scoffed. "You've got to make things hard for me, don't you?"

Naruto just smiled. "Yes I do. You've got to work for it you know."

"I guess," the brunette sighed. "I really don't like work."

"Loser," Naruto stated.

"You didn't let me finish." After Naruto had silenced, Sasuke went on. "I was going to say that I really don't like work. But, I'm willing to make an exception. Are you sure that's how you want it to go? That means a whole year."

"And what makes you my lover?" Naruto asked in defiance.

"Let's just say I'm determained."

"No way. It doesn't work like that," Naruto said with an irritated scowled firmly in place. "I mean sure, you know a lot about me, and now you know what happened way back when, but, you can't just say you're my boyfriend man."

"Tell me how it works then," Sasuke asked, more like demanded as usual. He sat up, and Naruto just rolled over.

After he pulled himself to his knees, he sat there and smiled. "How it works huh? Well, you're never getting to be the poetic person I want you to, so I can't count on that." He stared through the canopy at the ceiling in thought. "How about this: You can say you're my boyfriend if I kiss you on my own accord."

"Does the other one count?"

"No," the little teen said rolling his eyes. Sasuke pouted, and Naruto put his hands on the bed out in front of him. Leaning over a little bit, he placed his own kiss on the pale cheek that was available to him. After he'd pulled back and a very shocked Sasuke was looking at him again, he said, "You moved."

"Sorry," Sasuke declared, still a little surprised.

"Alright, come on. I've got one day to get these things done!" the chipper blonde exclaimed as he slid off the bed and walked to the other side.

"What the hell just happened?" Sasuke asked in a slight, dazed stupor once Naruto had gotten up.

""What? That is what you wanted, right?"

"What the hell? I thought you hated the idea?"

"I do. Something says it's okay though, and I know it's not just a spur of the moment thing, so don't go there. I've been thinking on this since last night."

"But you know," Sasuke said, still unmoved from his seat, "something tells me that you aren't the least bit gay or bi."

"I'm not."

"Then what the hell?!" the Uchiha exploded.

"What? Just because I'm straight, doesn't mean I can't like a guy."

"Yes, it does."

"Well..." Naruto ran a hand through his sunshine yellow hair and let out a huff of breath. "Alright. Don't tell him I told you, but Kiba's bi."

"So?"

"He wasn't before. When Kakashi started putting us in groups and stuff, Shino started coming on to him. They've been dating since then. Well, up until recently as I've heard."

"So.. what? You're teling me that I can turn you into a bisexual?"

He shrugged. "If it works for the most part, then yes 'Suke. If I'm going to try this out, it might as well be with you."

"I feel so special."

"Don't get pissy," Naruto ordered. "Good God, you're really making me change my mind here."

"Alright, alright! I'll stop." Sasuke looked down over the edge of the bed at his toes. "It just doesn't seem like you really mean it though. That makes me what to start over with it."

"Oh what the hell... It's like we've switched personalities or something." He bent down a bit and pulled back the collar of his shirt to reveal his hickey to Sasuke once again. "You see that?"

"Well, no shit."

"Good. Now, you see that it isn't covered, right?"

"So?"

"Oh dammit to Hell, Uchiha!!" Naruto nearly shouted. "What is wrong with you? I sleep in your bed, I come crying to you at night, dammit, I let you molest me for the most part!! What the hell more is there to prove that I mean it? I'm about to walk out in public with you and a huge purple thing on my neck! What? Do you honestly think I'd be showing this thing if I wanted other people looking at me?"

"I guess it makes sense..."

"Of course it does!" Naruto said finally happy with the response he got. "Now come on dammit. I want to get these chores done."

"Naruto, you make it sound like this this is more of a business agreement with your nonchalance."

Naruto sighed in exceeding frustration as he leaned all his weight on the door frame. "Well, what am I supposed to do? I haven't _kissed_ you yet."

"Well, if that's the way it is, you're just curious to see how long it'll take for me to freak out." Naruto watched as his friend got up off of his bed and walked over to stand next to him. "Anyone can make it sound more convincing than that if they were really striving for something." Naruto made a move to interject, but Sasuke cut him off. "Come back to see me about it when you're serious. Now come on, I'll take you to your place so you can get your notes."

Naruto sighed again for the umpteenth time that morning. This time, he sounded a bit distracted though. "You can just drop me off."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah," he said after some thought. He put on his showcase smile and led the way out of the room. "Come on." Sasuke nodded and followed him down to the garage. When they got into the car, they were silent. Sasuke was berating himself for being so, and Naruto was holding a private conversation in his mind.

_**Oh Kid! **_Kityasha exclaimed in his subconscience. _**Why'd you say no?!**_

_Sorry. I think he's right though. Maybe more than one night's thought should be put in to this. Don't you think?_

_**Wasn't your thought and mine enough?**_

_I thought so too, but apparently--_

_**Hun!! **_his other persona cried. _**Don't listen to him! You know he's just out for himself!!**_

_How is that possible Nikko? It's not like he's out here._

_**Um...**_ The two sub-beings tried to think up a way to meander out of that one.

_Whatever,_ Naruto decided on saying as he sighed staring out his window to the people on the sidewalks.

_**What's wrong with you?**_ Kityasha asked at the somberness in his mood.

_I'm upset. I just got turned down. Since when am I turned down?!_

_**Since when do you want to be accepted like that? **_Nikko asked in a disappointed tone.

_Since I found out how much that prick actually cares. _Silence was his answer, so Naruto kept going. _Who notices things like that? I can understand linking pain and passing out, but my ears? I didn't even know that. I actually think he means well._

_**So...?**_

_So... I think... I think that maybe..._

_**Maybe what?**_

_I think I'm going to go talk to that freak about it._

_**You have fun with that.**_

_I will._

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((11:28 AM))

"See you later," Naruto said glad to be getting out of the car. Sasuke had taken the long way, the one that lead to the only road to his apartment building. That road opened up across town from the Uchiha mansion. That meant one excruciating, silent trip for the blonde.

"Want me to walk you up?" Sasuke asked from his seat.

"No," Naruto replied with a shake of his head.

"'Kay," the older teen said. He caught Naruto's hand before he got out.

"What?" the blonde called back behind him.

Sasuke just looked at him for a moment or two before his mind stopped sizzling for a response. At last with a smile he said, "Sorry."

"What for?"

"Rejection doesn't look too fun."

It was Naruto's turn to smile. "You're right. It's not. But, let go. I have things to do, remember?"

"Right." Sasuke let him go, but the whiskered teen didn't move. "What?"

"Am I still alright for a hug?"

"You don't find that awkward?"

"No."

"Freak." Sasuke turned to look out his window debating on whether or not to comply with his wishes. "Well, I am aspiring to be your boyfrend, so I guess it's alright. Even though you did treat me like a business client."

"Okay, I get it," Naruto huffed. "I'm a heartless bastard."

"Not at all," Sasuke replied, leaning over to ensconse his petite friend. "Now go away," he said after placing a kiss on is cheek.

"Yeah, okay." Naruto stayed on the sidewalk in front of his trashy building and waved off his ride. When the black car had disappeared down the road, he let out a breath and dropped his smiling act. Looking up at his builing, he frowned in utter disdain. He turned around and entered the building, forcing himself up the flights of stairs. He reached his door and got his keys out of his shoe again. Jamming them in the knob, he opened the door to his small apartment and stepped inside. Kicking off his shoes, he down at his feet, and caught sight of a small piece of paper. He picked it up and flipped it over in his hands.

"Where're the other two?" He looked around a bit before giving up and retiring to his bedroom. After dropping his bag to the floor, he collapsed onto his bed, and a groan escaped him. "God... I just got here and already I hate this place again. Maybe his bed did it."

"Whose?" Naruto jumped at the sudden voice behind him. Upon seeing who it was, he let out his held breath and relaxed, sitting up to fold his legs, leaving room for the other to sit with him. The teen seemed to just glide over then sit.

"Who do you think you are, Kabuto?" Naruto asked. "You can't just walk into someone's home. What if someone else was with me?"

"There wasn't. And I didn't," he explained. "Orochimaru-sama let me in. He said to wait for you to give you this." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Handing it over, he pushed his glasses up his nose. "I don't know what's in there, but he obviously didn't want it found."

"Thanks _so _much," Naruto said, sarcasm clearly laced into his words. He took the small note and opened it up. Inside it said:

_Naruto-kun,_

_Kabuto told me about your school problem already, _

_so just come see me and we'll work it out. A month _

_isn't all that bad if you're willing to comply with my terms. _

_I'll see you when you get here._

_-Orochimaru_

"Oh great," Naruto exhaled as he fell onto his back again.

"Problem?"

"I don't know. He probably wants me to take care of some fat, old, ugly--"

"Doubt it."

Naruto bent his neck to look at him. "I'm sorry?"

"My uncle isn't crazy, Naruto-kun. I do appointments, remember?"

"So?"

"So," Kabuto said, turning around a bit to get a better look at his classmate, "he's not handing you over to someone like that. You haven't had a _scheduled _job in months."

"Why not?" Naruto asked a tad bit angry that someone else knew that as well.

Kabuto smiled behind his round rims. "Because he practically loves you."

"You mean he loves taking me," the teeny blonde scoffed.

"Look at it how you want," Kabuto shrugged. He raised himself from the bed and unwrinkled the back of his pants. "But hey, I'd get a move on it if I were you. He's fixing on going home right after lunch."

Naruto sat back up and ran his fingers over his hairline in a ruffle. "Where is he?"

"Club, where else?"

"But, that's so far from here!!" the blonde whined.

"I'll take you if you want."

"You will?" Kabuto nodded, but Naruto lost his sunshiny smile. "You aren't going to hurt me, are you?"

"Ah, no. That kind of thing really isn't my fetish."

"Alright then. Hey, we can listen to the radio in there, right?"

"Of course," Kabuti stated as thougt it were a fact known around the world.

"Okay, come on. I pick the station," the hyper teen said as he got off of his small bed. He disappeared through the door and was back in the front of the apartment, putting his shoes on when Kabuto saw him. "Hey, were are yours?"

"Next to the couch," he said as he went over to pick them up. "I fell asleep, so I never moved them."

"Whatever." He finished pulling on his sneakers, so Naruto waited for his accomlice outside the tiny apartment. When he was at his side, Naruto pulled the door shock and relocked it. "Let's go," he said over his shoulder as he started down the stairs. On his way down, Kabuto stayed next to him. His curious mind couldn't help but wonder... "Kabuto, why do you have grey hair? You're not even twenty yet. This other girl I know too."

"I don't know. Genetics? Worry? Why does my uncle look like Micheal Jackson with much longer hair?"

Naruto actually laughed at that one. "Don't trash family, Kabuto," he said between breaths.

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((12:17 PM))

"Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto called as he entered the seemingly deserted building. "I brought over Naruto-kun."

"I'm in the back, Kabuto," came that icy voice. Naruto shivered a bit inside. Dirty business was never fun. Seeing how his schoolmate had frozen, Kabuto grabbed him by the hand and urged him to follow to the back. Releuctantly, Naruto did as was asked of him. When he got to the surveilance room, he stopped in the door.

"G'd afternoon," he said with a meek wave.

"There you are. You know, you haven't been home all weekend. You're starting to worry me," Orochimaru said from his seat, never veering from his camera monitors.

"It's nothing. _Don't _worry about it."

"Fine." Kabuto held back his protests to Naruto's taboo while they spoke. "Come here, love," Orochimaru called with a gesture.

Naruto shuffled his feet over to the man and stood behind him looking over his shoulder. "What am I looking at?"

"This one," the older man said pointing with one of his skinny fingers. "Look at him. He won't even move."

Naruto squinted as hard as he could to get a look at who was on the other end of the camera. He had no such success. Orochimaru pulled him closer to the moniters stil, snaking an arm around his waist to put him in front of the most prominent. "I can't see it, Orochi."

"Just go back there then," Orochimaru said with a bit of irritation clearly hanging on his voice.

Naruto backed up from his position next to him. "A-alright," he stammered. "I guess I'll talk to you later about the project then."

"What?" The man turned, swinging his hair with him. "Oh right. Yes, you can have off. Just... go see what's wrong with him. Do what he says like you normally do. Maybe he'll come out of his stupor."

"Uh-huh." Naruto made his way slowly out of the room. On his way through the door, he caught sight of Kabuto's evil grimace. Even though he was the guy's nephew, he still didn't get away with being informal like that. "See you tomorrow, Kabuto." His upper-classman just gave him a nod in recognition.

_I wonder who this is... Doing what I normally do could mean anything in this God forsaken place. Oh man... I want to go homeeeeeeeee. _Naruto made his way down the hall with slight hesitance. He was headed to the very back room of the entire club. Basically, he was a holding cell for members. It wasn't a pleasant place to get yourself landed in. The blonde sighed miserably when he reached the last, large door. Pulling open, he kicked his shoes off and refused to look at whoever was on the bed. It wasn't his aspiration to see someone chained up like a naked dog.

"Hey," he heard. That voice was actually familiar. Naruto looked up and smiled.

"Tachi!" he cried as he made his way to sit on the bed. His smiled shifted into a frown when he remembered where he was though. "Why are you in here?"

"I got busted again," the man said as he lay back onto the pillows. He made sure to pull the thin sheet over his body. "It doesn't really matter though. I'm just waiting until the rest of the police force notices that I'm not being incarcerated."

"What'd you get busted for this time?" Naruto asked poking the chain attached to the headboard. As he trailed his finger along the metal links leading to the collar around the Uchiha's neck, he remembered the countless other times his friend was locked up in the back room.

"Drug trafficing." The older man sighed and rubbed his skin under the metal clamp. "That's the third time I got put in here for that. I'm thinking of switching to another tactic so I can get thrown out."

"Why don't you do something else, dumbass?" Naruto scowled. "I swear, all you Uchihas are idiots."

"All huh?" Itachi rolled onto his side under the sheet. "What do you mean all?"

"What?" Naruto let his brain crackle for a bit before it remembered what he said only seconds ago. "Oh! Right. Yes all. I mean you and your brother. He's a moron if I ever met one."

"Since when are you talking to him?" The pale man ran a hand through his long, ebony hair. "Last I checked, you couldn't stand him for whatever reason."

"Last you checked was a week ago after a stage show."

"Still," the Uchiha said as though it were an actual statement to win the argue.

"Well, making a very long story short, he's turned around, opened up, and he's my friend again."

"That's all?"

"Yes that's all," the blonde said rather upset. "Well, I tried to get him to go out with me, but--"

"Since when do you like guys?"

"Damn it all. I don't!" he erupted.

"Could have fooled me with that statement. So tell me, what's my idiot little brother been up to since I disappeared, huh?" Itachi retreated to lying on his back once again. He stared up at the white ceiling waiting for his answer.

"Well, he isn't as much as an ass anymore." He stopped for a while to hum as he thought. "Can't believe he turned me down though. No one's ever done that before."

"You really asked him?"

"Well, in simplier words, yes."

The captured man turned his head to face his small friend again. "So you didn't actually say you wanted to date him?"

"No. And he said I made it sound like a business deal or something." Naruto pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them in a state of something similar to sadness.

Itachi smiled as he sat up to level with his guest. Propping his elbow on his knee, he leaned over a bit to grab a red hair-tie on his nightstand. "That wasn't the smartest thing you've ever done," he said, pulling back his long locks in the circular band of elastic.

"How so?"

"Did you not pick up that he hates to beat around the bush? If you didn't, you had to at least notice that he doesn't like anything related to work in any way." He finished tying his hair and let his bangs fall into his eyes as always. He put both elbows on his knees and sighed heavily. "I can't really say that I know him anymore, but I don't think that's changed. Am I right?"

"Very. I don't like to be a burden, you know that." Itachi nodded. "Well, I think that's exactly what I'm doing. Any other time I would have said something like that, he would have pounced on me and screwed me into the ground." Itachi looked a little confused. With a tiny smile, Naruto explaned. "Yes, that's why I've been hating him. Before, all he did was kick my ass. We hit high school, and now he's a rapist."

"Well, I can't say I didn't expect it."

"What'd you say?"

"Well hell, he only stayed with me because I made him. He's got this thing about authority now. He can't stand not being the one in charge. It's part of the reason he left."

"Really? Didn't know that. He doesn't really tell me much. Actually..." Naruto knit his eyebrows together in deep thought trying to remember the last two days. "That sorry bastard! He hasn't told me anything other than the thing about his legs!"

"I'm just going to disregard that sudden outburst... So, what were you saying about being a burden?"

Naruto frowned and went back into his sitting fetal position. "I think I got him smoking again. He told me he quit before."

"What makes you think you made him do it again then?"

"His car reeks of smoke. And, apparently, it's the good one that no one else rides in but me." He did a retard dance by waving his hands around his head. "I've gotten close to knowing why it's so prized, but every time someone goes to tell me, something happens."

"Which one is that?"

"The Lexus. Everyone says that you got it for him, but I knew you then." The cogs in Naruto's brain started grinding against each other again. "They say you got him that chain too. And he says that you didn't leave him until after sixth grade... Tachi, were you still with them when I got dragged in here?"

A smile played its way across the older man's face. He swung his legs over to the other side of the bed and stood, tying the sheet around his waist. He stretched, pulling the chain a little, and said, "Yeah. I think it's a great accomplishment to play them like that. All the signs and they still didn't get it. They aren't that smart in that house."

"Itachi... that's so low."

"Yeah," he agreed, quickly running his fingers through his bangs, "but I wasn't trying to hurt Sasuke like I'm sure he thinks. If I was, I'm pretty sure he'd be dead by now."

"So what were you thinking when you left? I doubt it was just wanting to major in male prostitution."

"Of course it wasn't." He slender man bent over to open his bedside table. "I've got my reasons. I don't have to reveal them though. Sorry. I'm saving that for when he can stomach to see me again."

"Tachi," Naruto dragged out. "Why can't I know?"'

"You're already a thouroughly disturbed child. It's not my place to worsen the condition."

"Fine," Naruto sighed with his all too famous pout.

"So, why are you keen on catching Sasuke now?"

"To be honest, I think I have a problem with trust."

"You didn't know that already?" Itachi questioned, still digging in his drawer.

"I was stating it... Anyway, we've only been friends again for two days. Already, I've told him about what happened to my parents. Another thing, he noticed why I fall out all the time. He caught a lying card I didn't know I had. He picked up on my living alone before he knew about my past. I mean... How am I not supposed to trust him?"

"Naruto, I told you before: you cannot go around falling for everyone that makes you feel better."

"But I don't!" he argued. "That's only ever happened once."

"Oh yeah? What about Subakuno? You even went as far as trying to get him out of this place."

"Shut up," Naruto mumbled with his scarlet-sprayed cheeks. "So it happened twice. At least I'm not running around serving it to everyone."

"That's only because that prick out there won't let you."

"How did we even get on this subject?!" Naruto shouted, letting go of his knees and scowling in the direction of his self-proclaimed counsilor. "I just wanted to ask you if you thought I should still covet Sasuke."

Itachi stood from his drawer wielding a small piece of paper. With a smirk he said, "Check for yourself. As you can see, I got tied up so I couldn't deliver your tasks." He tossed the folded paper with a slight flick of the wrist to his small comrade. "That's what I intended on giving you today."

Naruto, with his frown still on, unfloded the tiny square. After reading what was inside, he broke into a cheek-splitting grin. He bounded from his spot on the bed and searched for the camera mounted onto the wall. Upon finding it, he hopped over and held the small piece of paper up to the lens. On the recieving end, Orochimaru and his nephew read:

1: Head over to Cingular and pick up the phone I bought you.

2: Find Sasuke and make amends.

3: Avoid Orochimaru on your way out. He's got a gift coming soon.

4: Come back to visit me after having a nice week.

Naruto was estatic at his new "duties." He'd never had a cell phone before. He'd already made amends with Sasuke, but now he had an excuse to seek him out at school the next day. As for avoiding Orochimaru? Naruto knew that he was due for a branding sometime soon. Everyone got one when they'd hit a career of five years. Gaara had his. So did Itachi. A few other members Naruto saw every now and then did as well. Unlike them, he became a host after just one year, so he wasn't as common a witness to pain as he _used _to be. Being scorched with a rod of hot iron didn't seem too appealing, even if he did get a burst of discomfort in his stomach on the regular.

"Orochi," he said into the camera after lowering the note, "I'm leaving. I'll see you when I come to visit again!" Quickly, so that he still had time to get out, Naruto hopped over to his chained, naked friend and embraced him like he'd never get the chance again. "Thanks so much, Tachi! I promise I'll come back and see you if I have to make 'Suke drive me himself."

"Alright, just go easy on those hugs." He untangled Naruto and turned a bit. "I just got a touch up on that damned thing," he said pointing to his right shoulder blade. That's where his trademark scar was. It was three teardrops in a circle. It would be pretty, but it just stood for something so terrible.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Alright, I'm leaving Tachi. Bye!" he said before pecking him on the cheek then racing out the door as fast as he could to the exit. No one was to be seen when he got there. When he went to open the door, however, he ran smack into someone's chest. Sitting up on the floor, he apologized profusely and explaned his hurry.

"It's fine, Naruto."

Naruto stared up at his schoolmate in front of him. He hadn't seen Gaara at the club in months. "What are you here for?"

Gaara shook his firey locks from his right eye's view. "What else? I'm here to get my money."

"For what? I haven't see you anywhere. Not the stage, not the rooms, not the lounge. What could you possibly--?"

"Phone."

"Jesus Gaara," Naruto said with his eyes growing large and round.

"What?"

"You work the phone, and you still got a branding??"

"Yes." Gaara slipped his hands in his pockets and leaned onto the door frame. "Why wouldn't I? I'm still a staff member of this club, right?"

"Well, yeah, but... Oh, never mind. Why don't you come see me in the lounge anymore? You have a cell, don't you?"

Gaara shrugged. "Just haven't been around. I don't really have a reason to anymore."

"Oh, I feel so loved." Naruto stood and brushed off the back of his pants. "Am I not a good enough reason?"

"Of course you are," the redhead said with a slight chuckle. "This place is just so out of the way."

"Yeah yeah. Well, I'll be seeing you tomorrow then. I've got things to do." Naruto began taking his strides out the door. Once he'd crossed the trimming, however, his friend pulled him back by his shirt collar. "What is it?"

"Weren't you just complaining about not seeing me?" Naruto made a noise in his throat trying to think. The oblivious part of his brain got the better of him. "Yes, you were," Gaara said as he pulled him up to eye level. "At least hug me or something before you leave."

"M'kay." With a giddy smile, Naruto reached up and tipped the pheonix-red covered head down. After getting kissed on his forehead marking, Gaara was released. "There. Now, let me leave? I have errands and homework to do."

"You don't need a ride?"

"No thanks. I'll see you later emo-freak."

"Bye." Naruto left the large building and started off down the sidewalk whistling My Chemical Romance. For early in the day, it was blindingly bright out, and the weather was warm. It could be considered likely though since it was almost lunch time. After a ten minute walk from Club Akatsuki, Naruto made it to the Cingular outlet. With his smile on again, he walked in.

"Good afternoon!" the sales woman said as soon as he passed the detectors.

"Hello," he said just so that he didn't make her feel stupid.

"Do you need help with anything young scholar?"

Naruto just smiled. She only said that because she couldn't tell what he was. "Actually, yes. A friend of mine purchased a phone, and he asked me to pick it up for him."

"Oh? Well, what name is it under?"

"Ah!" Naruto smacked himself on the forehead and ran his fingers down his face. "I don't know. Here, try mine. It's Uzumaki."

"Okay then." The woman in the black slacks disappeared behind the service counter and started typing on a keyboard. "Mm... Sorry. No Uzumaki here."

Naruto groaned and scratched his head vigorously. He wasn't smart enough to put it under his name, so what could it be? With a moan of disgust, Naruto said, "Here, try Uchiha." She started typing again, but this time, her face lit up.

"It's right here! Next time, maybe you should ask your friend for the name, hm?"

"Yeah." _He's such a dumbass._

"Well, if you follow me here to the back, I'll get you your phone." Naruto nodded and did so. The woman's shoes tapped on the hard floor with every long stride she took. While he was on his way, the blonde started to ponder a few things. One of them was: why didn't Itachi just quit? Another was: why didn't anyone say anything about the insanely obvious hickey? That one had him stumped. Lost in his thoughts, Naruto hadn't noticed that the woman stopped. He walked right into her strawberry-blonde hair.

"I'm so sorry!" he said from his position on the floor again.

She only smiled."You pushed me right to where yours was, so that's alright sir." She finally figured it huh? "Just fix your shirt."

Naruto looked down. In his collision, his shirt had bunched up almost all the way to his head. Well, that solves that mystery. "Sorry," he said again as he stood and straightened himself out. "Is this it?" He reached forward and pulled one of them down off the stock shelf.

"Yes it is!" she said with an all too enthusiastic smile. "If you come with me back to the counter, I'll sign it off to you."

"Mm-hm." After another five minutes of going through senseless offers, he had his phone. Once he made it out of that store, he turned on his red Razr. A giddy smile graced him as he looked at all the things it already had. There were games, wallpapers, Itachi even got him the internet. Bending over to reach into his sock, he pulled out two sheets of paper. Unfolding the one, he went to the phonebook section on his device. "There's one in here already?" There was no name, so he called it. Someone picked up after the second ring.

"Moshi moshi," they said with a yawn.

"Tachi!"

"Hey. Oh, like it?" the man asked, still in place on his white bed.

"So much! Thank you a million times over!"

"Sure thing. Hey, I've got to go. That pale prick is coming in here."

"M'kay. Much love! Buh-bye."

"Later." His call was disconnected. Girly smile back in place, he registered the name in the phone. When he finished, he started putting in all the other ones he had. They were: Gaara's cell, Kiba, Kiba's cell, Hinata's cell, Lee's cell, Iruka's house, cell, and job-line, Konohamru, and Shino. It was funny how he got that last one. It had actually been given to him durng lunch. Shino took it upon himself to make sure Kiba got his number. Naruto wrote it down for himself as well. They didn't object to it.

"I'm such a lucky guy!" he shouted to whoever was around at the moment. Not many people. "Oh yeah, it's Sunday. Normal people go to some kind of worship... Just means less traffic for me!" He buried his new phone deep into his pocket and happily made his way home. And why shouldn't he be happy? He just got a phone. He got a month off of hosting at Akatsuki. He sneaked his way out of a branding. He made a mends with Sasuke and Neji. And he still had access to Itachi who, surprisingly, was still alive and out of jail. Life was good.

* * *

yay!! I can upload again!! but... i don't have the next one typed out. I've got the roughness on paper and an outline, but it isn't anywhere _near_ typed.

alright so...  
If you haven't gotten this yet, and you'd have to be mentally delayed not to, Naruto works for Orochi in _prostotution_.

he works in the lounge now so he's just a tease if you want to call it that. that's because, in case you didn't notice in chapter... whenever 12 or something, Orochi actually likes him...

they get brandings at club akatsuki. Gaara dn Itachi work for Orochi tooooooooo. you get an update on your dub branding ever five years. If you do something to get Orochi in trouble, you're chained up like a naked doggy. indeed, I find it disturbing, but oh well.

up there in the bedroom-- Naruto kinda asked Sasuke out, but Sasuke didn't like the way he did it. there ya go. They get together in teh next one I PROMISE you.

Itachi is Naruto's friend-uh! that's how he knew about what was going on and could get beat up by bringing it up. go check the other spots where he's like "Well, the truth is out the window" almost allll of those give hints

aaaaaahhhh... am I missing anything... can't remember. if you have a question or something seems out of place, ask me. I'll explain it. 


	16. Monday!

What? Really?! Oh yeah!! That hellacious weekend of thier's is over!! Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell yeah!! Yosh!! Alright. Getting on with the story. I decided to cut the chapter short to get it up here for you all. P Read and Review loves!!**_

* * *

_**

**_Chaper: 16_**

((7:30 AM))

Monday had come all too quickly for Naruto. After running around to find a cookbook for Iruka, he had to go straight home and start on his neglected homework. It took him until ten that night to actually finish the assignments that were due Monday. Projects and things could be put off until a few days before they were actually due. So, with the eight hours of sleep he got ((which would have been ample time for anyone else)), he lazily dragged himself to his bus stop. He had made it just on time, he noticed, since it had pulled up only seconds after he'd stopped.

The ride was half an hour long, and he usually used that short time frame to sleep more. He didn't get that lucky though. You see, he lived pretty far from the school, so he wasn't actually in the district. A school bus wouldn't pick him up. He used Iruka's address to stay in the school, but he had to take a public bus to get there. It would drop him off about two blocks away, and he'd run to make it to his first period before the first bell rang. The first bell didn't mean he was late, the third one did. They were all five minutes apart, so that meant fifteen more minutes to sleep.

As before stated, though, he didn't get his half hour luxury on the bus to school. Something that he hadn't noticed before caught his eye. The blonde man from the micoorganisms department at the hospital was on there when he got passed the fare box. Sure, he'd seen him, but he never really took notice. Now that they'd spoken, it got his attention. As he boarded the bus, Naruto tried to point out any other times he'd seen the man on there. Sadly, he remembered seeing him every day before school and debating on whether it was a man or a woman. He couldn't help feeling foolish now, but he could strike up a conversation to chase the feeling away.

"G'd morning," he said as he sat down next to his blonde co-worker for the first time.

He actually didn't seem all that fazed until he turned to see who it was. "Morning Mimi-blonde!! A bit early, don't you think, un?"

"Not at all. I'm headed to school, see?" Naruto patted the bookbag in his lap for emphasis. "I'm always on the bus this early during the school week."

"I see." Deidara turned to reach into a pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Here you go. It'll make getting on easier, un."

"What is it?" Naruto asked as he took the tiny folded square. Small pieces of paper weren't always his friends.

"Hm? You look a little suspicious, un," Deidara declared with something like shock on his face. "It's just a bus pass. I don't use it all that much. My friend pays for me. Just make sure you tell me when you need it renewed, un. I'll get it done for you." He pinned a smile to the end of his statement to contrat with Natuto's bewilderment.

"For real?" the tiny blonde asked. He wanted to pinch himself, but that would be odd.

"I think so." He pulled on Naruto's hair making him squeeze out a whine of discomfort. "Well, it isn't a dream, so I guess it is real, un."

Naruto made himself breathe. "Thanks so much!" he said, leaning over in his seat to hug Deidara lightly. "I'm just getting all kinds of things lately," he said more to himself than his company. He'd heard him though.

"What do you mean, Mini-blonde?"

"What? Oh!" He gave a nervous chuckle to cover for himself a little. "Nothing. I was just talking to myself really."

"If you say so."

"Can I ask? Who pays for you to ride the bus? And where are you going?"

"Me?" Deidara asked, pointing to himself like there was someone else in the two seater. Naruto nodded just to humor him. "Oh, I'm headed to work, un. Sasori goes before me, so he leaves the money behind."

"You work everyday?" He got a nod. "He leaves it behind? How?"

"On the counter, un. How else would he leave it?"

"Oh," Naruto said with his mouth like a fish. "He lives with you."

"Mm-hm. Has been ever since college, un."

"Must be nice."

Deidara smiled. "Sometimes he can get on your nerves though. He's always right there whenever I turn around, un. Then, he says I scream like a girl. He thinks it's real funny, un." Naruto just gave him a half smile. "He's got his good points though. At least he's always around when I actually need him there for something."

"That's good. I don't normally have people around to help me."

"Aw, parents out a lot?"

"Something like that," Naruto said, smile still stapled in place.

"It's alright, Mini-blonde. I'm sure you'll be okay."

"Of course." He yawned, and suddenly the memories of his not wanting to get out of bed came flooding back to him.

"Tired?" Deidara asked after Naruto had closed his tiny mouth again. He nodded meekly in response. "You can sleep. I don't want to keep you up, un." He twisted around in his seat a little to compensate room for Naruto to slouch a bit.

"Thanks." No more came out of him. He slept until he heard his stop being called over the PA system of the public form of transportation.

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((7:58 AM))

Naruto was skidding through the halls of Konoha P.A. High as soon as he had bounded up the entrence stairs. He flew passed the main office, was a blur by the cafeteria, and merely a blonde streak as he crossed through the student council room. It was a normal occurance, so they didn't mind it much anymore. They knew when to get out of the way, so there was no reason to get upset. He always said he was sorry and thanks on his way out the other door. Once out, he would whiz by the gymnasium and scoot past the library that he knew about before Friday. After he cleared the first building, he went out the back and ascended the stairs to his first period. Asuma's class was in the back building, second floor, end of the hallway, door on the right.

With a whoosh of air he collapsed into his desk, dropping his bag beside him. He sighed contently and settled into a comfortable position before deciding that he would sleep. Unfortunately, that too, like the bus ride, was disturbed. Someone else came in after him. He didn't take the time to look up since it didn't really matter, so long as they didn't bother him.

"Naruto!!" they whined out in dismay. So much for his fifteen minutes.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" he ground out from his nearly sleeping state.

"Naruto, don't be mean," the person said, their voice finally turning normal after dropping the whining tone.

"Sakura... Go away," he begged his female classmate. "I just want to sleep."

"But, I wanted to ask you something," she said, placing herself in the desk next to his.

Naruto moaned as he cracked an eye open. Turning over in his folded arms, he removed her from his sight. She, however, got up and moved. After several minutes, she just stood in front of his desk. Seeing how he wasn't getting out of it, he asked, "What do you want?"

"Yoko said that you went back to Sasuke-kun's house after work the other night."

"So?"

"Really?! Naruto, what's Sasuke-kun's house like?? Is it big? Is it clean?" She gasped. "Did you see his room?!"

"You know, he hates when people call him that," Naruto declared with a yawn.

"Call who what now?"

"He doesn't like being called Sasuke-kun. I think it reminds him of work."

"Oh... So! Did you get started on any of the project while you were there?"

"Eh?" He made himself sit up in his chair and look at her. "What?"

"Well, she said you went because Sasuke-kun thought you were going to slack off on the project."

"Did I say that?" Naruto pulled at his memory to that night at work. _**'Don't take it the wrong way!!' he warned before she let the stick meet his lips. 'I don't lean towards that side of the fence. We have a project together, and he thinks I'm going to slack off.' **_"Oh yeah... I did say that..."

"Well, did you?"

"No, not really. Well, he might've. I sure didn't."

"Oh... Well, that's all I wanted!! You can go to sleep now!!" The first bell went off with an obnoxiously loud buzz to accompany the 8:05 time. Naruto groaned miserably while Sakura walked out to migle before time was up. The second bell was when students actually started filing in class.

"Might as well get up now." He pulled out his mathematics book and flopped it on his desk. He made himself get up from his chair and walk over to the door. Pulling out the stack of papers from the bin, he passed them out to whosoever's desk they belonged. When he finished, he checked the clock. The second bell was due to ring soon. He sighed in annoyance and decided that he'd use the bathroom while he had the chance. Scooting across the hall, he went. As he was coming of out the restroom door, the second bell sounded, and he yawned in a reply to the demand to get into his seat before the last one went off.

"Hey there Porn Star!!" someone shouted into his ear as they flopped a rather warm, heavy arm on his shoulders.

"Hey Bi-st Friend," he said back while making sure that his drowsiness was covered well. Kiba frowned, so Naruto smiled. "Just got out of practice?" the smaller asked, pointing at the red streaks on his friend's face.

"What? Oh, yeah. I kind of like the theater make-up now," Kiba said poking at it to see if it had dried. It did, so it wasn't coming off until he at least took a shower.

"Oh! That reminds me!" Naruto gasped as he knocked himself in the head. "Kiba, what's going on with Shino??"

"Hm?" Kiba removed his arm and let it slap to his side. "How'd you find out about that?"

"I know people... Oh! What's up with Kank' too??" Naruto had long since abandoned his idea of sleep.

Kiba put on a look that crossed somewhere between depressed and pouting. He slid his hands into the pockets of his uniform pants and huffed out a sigh. "Well... Me and Shino are kind of-- I guess you could say on a break for a while."

"Why? I thought you two were in _love_??"

"Don't joke at it Naruto." Kiba averted his gaze down the hall and spotted a certain someone. He sighed again and, grabbing Naruto by the elbow, shuffled into the classroom.

"Kiba, what happened?"

He shrugged in dismay. "I don't know. He just said I was getting too comfortable and coming in his space, which, obviously, he needs to himself."

"Well geez. Really Kiba, you don't have to go and start dating other people just because."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kiba sat himself on the edge of a desk and pushed at the ground to stay up. "All I did was talk to Hinata. Of course, I got shot down, but I didn't do anything else."

"Did you not hear me mention Kank' in the hall?" Naruto asked.

"Oh... Kankurou... Yeah. Sorry, forgot about that."

"Tell meeeee," Naruto begged as he tugged on the jacket of his friend's uniform.

"If you must know--"

"You know I do."

Kiba smiled. "If you must know, something did happen during practice a few days ago after school. I was being all emo, and he saw me. He didn't want me to be all pissy since he had to see me for the next three hours, so he tried to cheer me up. Let me tell you: as a motivational speaker-- he sucks." Kiba was glad to see his tiny friend was in his normal laughing mood again since Friday. The way he walked out during lunch wasn't like him, and while they were talking in history, he didn't seem like himself. From the begining of the day to the end, he'd gone from chipper, to miserable, to lost in a daze. He appreciated having his prankster of a friend back.

"Okay Kiba. You have to tell me what actually happened," Naruto stated after collecting himself.

"Well, I told him that he wasn't doing a good job at pepping me back up, but I was grateful for the effort. Which was true."

"Since when do you say things like that?"

Kiba stuck out his tongue. "Since I'm emotionally unstable. Anyway, he asked me what he could do. I said he could help me with my make-up. I never get it on straight, or even, or anything like it's supposed to be. He said he would if I did his for him."

"That makes no sense."

"Yes, it does. I can't put on my own make-up, but I sure as hell can put on someone elses. It comes out really well when I do, too. Thanks so much, Naruto."

"I'm sorry okay? So-- let me guess. You were doing each other's make-up, got caught up, then you got banged up?"

"Uhhhm... no. We talked... for a long time. A really long time. And, I kind of liked it. He said he wanted to talk to me before I left this morning too."

"Kiba... Does this mean you're getting a new boyfriend?"

Kiba stuck out his bottom lip and stared down at his little friend. "You know you're the only boyfriend I'll ever have Naru-_chan_."

"I'm serious," Naruto said with a light chuckle. "Are you giving up on Shino?"

Kiba sighed. "Yeah... I think I might if he doesn't do something now. I like engaging in conversation, and Shino doesn't. Kank' sure as hell does though. Maybe... I don't know." He sighed again. "I do like Shino, really. You've seen it right?" Naruto nodded. "I dunno. I'm just going to run with it and see where it goes."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll be fine," Naruto said patting his friend's back. "But do me a favor. Do you have Kank's number?"

"Of course I do." Kiba fished in his pants' pockets until he found what he was looking for. He unfolded the small cue card and read off the numbers. "What do you need if for anyway?"

"To keep up with your company, duh. I just got a phone. Now I can go around without checking my sock to make sure the numbers didn't ware away."

"You got a phone??"

"I did," Narto said rather triumphantly. "Want to see it?"

"Of course I do you moron." Naruto let the comment roll off his back as soon as his eyes rolled up to the ceiling. He went back over to his desk and seachered through his bag's front pouch. He pulled out his new device and displayed it to his best friend.

"You likey?"

"Me doey!!" Kiba snatched it and started rummaging through the red communicater's contents. "Naruto, where'd you get this?"

"Cingular."

"Don't be a smartass," Kiba comanded in slight frustration. "For serious. Your jobs, including that other one I hate you for, don't pay enough to keep up with minutes... and internet access... and instant messaging service... Dammit! Where'd you get this?" he demanded after going through the phone's contents besides the numbers.

"I have connections thanks." Naruto snatched the small thing from Kiba's hands and put it back in place. "I can assure you that I didn't steal it."

"I never said that. I was just wondering... Oh, never mind." Kiba sat in his desk in front of Naruto's and got out his math book. Naruto sat in his as the rest of the class began to rush in through the doors. They sat in their designated seats and waited the few seconds that they had to spare before the final bell rang. Once it did, as if on cue, their instructor waltzed in and pulled the door behind him.

"Everyone here?" he asked. There was only silence for a response. "Great! That means you are." Asuma said behind his large teachers' desk and waited with the rest of his class for the announcements to begin.

"Hey, Naruto," Kiba said over his shoulder as he turned around a little.

"What?"

"Any thoughts on what I should do?"

Naruto gave him a lopsided smile due to his face being half smooshed into the text book on his desk. "I'm the worst person to ask about that kind of thing. Just ask Uchiha." And then he slept through the announcements.

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((8:15 AM))

Somewhere in the other building of the school, the student council was preparing for the announcements. It was decided that Lee would be the one in front of the camera this time. When the classroom TVs clicked on, a hush rippled across the campus save for the other members. Lee started the announcements, and that was the cue for the other students in the room to do as they needed.

"Uchiha," Neji called from his spot in front of the school newspaper. It was open and waiting to be put together for release.

"What?" Sasuke called back from the other end of the room. Most people would find it odd that they had a coffee machine in there, but everyone else thought it was normal. Every extra curricular activity that Sasuke was in had one. He was an addict.

"Come here dumbass."

"You know," the younger teen said as he started to walk over, cup in hand, "you're really going to stop talking to me like that. I haven't done anything bad to you lately. If I remember, it was the other way around."

"Yeah, yeah. Okay look." Neji pushed his glasses up a bit on his nose. "I need an opinion. Should the game results go next to the pyramid picture, or should I leave them on the front page?"

"Mm... I can't really see. Here, give me." He leaned over a bit and swiped Neji's glasses from their perch. Before he had a chance to protest, Sasuke said, "Dear cousin, I don't have my glasses with me. When's the last time you've even seen them?" Neji frowned as they were fitted into place by someone else. "Oh wow... same perscription? That's convenient. But, aside from that now." He looked over the paper and shook his head.

"What?" the pale eyed boy asked, a bit offended.

Sasuke took the glasses off and handed them back. "Did you know you scratched these? Were they in your pocket when you hit the floor the other day?" Neji just wanted to kill him right there, but that would be immoral. "Anyway, I say you keep them on the front page. Use the picture of the cheerleader pyramid for the _details _on the games."

"Alright."

"Sasuke!!" Tenten called from her area in the room. He shuffled over and stood next to her and her calculator, recipts, and reports.

"What?" he asked in a little annoyance.

"I need to know-- What do you think the budget for the retreat should be?"

"That depends on what it's for," he said, pulling out a chair from under the circular table. This was bound to take a while. She usually talked too fast to decipher anything. Normal people she didn't know heard mixed languages. If you listened though, you just might have caught it. Somehow, Sasuke was able to slow it down in his head by watching her lips intently. This is how he does it:

"Idonthvaetheslightestonhowtokeepthingsbalancedanymore!!"

_**I-don't-have-the-slightest-on-how-to-keep-things-balanced-anymore. **_He just nodded.

"Thebusesalonearekickingmyassandistillhaventfiguredouthowimgoingtodispursetheraisedmoneytothestudents!!"

_**The-buses-alone-are-kicking-my-ass-and-I-still-haven't-figured-out-how-I'm-going-to-dispurse-the-money-to-the-students.**_

"Theyneedsomethingtodoatthatstupidcenterotherthanlistentospeechesallday!!"

_**They-need-something-to-do-at-that-stupid-center-other-than-listen-to-speeches-all-day.**_

She was about to start again, but he stopped her. "Alright. Listen." She put everything down and gave him her full attention, otherwise, she might have started rambling again. "I know we have a couple thousand in the treasury left over, right?" She nodded. "Tenten, this is like a private school, and there aren't that many people going anyway. Out of the ones who are, most of their parents are giving them money. As for the buses, get like... four. Give each kid eighty bucks, and you should be fine."

She took a huge inhale of breath. "Ohmigosh!! Thankyousomuch!!"

Sasuke just nodded before he got up. "Sasuke-kun!!" another one of them called.

He groaned a little before turning around to look for Hinata. He found her. "What?"

"I need your help since Neji-niisan is busy."

"I'm coming." Sasuke dragged his feet across the floor to get over to her and her papers. "What?" he asked once he'd reached her.

"I just need to know if you think the nature speeches should go on the schedule?"

"Nah. Make them voluntary."

"Mm-kay."

"Uchiha," said someone else.

"What?!" Sasuke called back in sheer irritation as he turned to see who it was. "Oh."

"Yeah... I'll ignore that," Gaara commented from his position next to the coffee machine as he discarded his own cup. He too was in love with the substance. "Anyway, I need to ask you something that's actually _important._"

"O-okay." Gaara beckoned for him to follow him out, and he did so. He left his cup on a table on his way out. "What is it?"

"Just a quick question. Does Naruto seem... different to you?"

"What kind of different?"

"Different as in... distracted. I don't have proof, but I know you kick his ass on the regular. So, just tell me what you've noticed."

"Ahh..." He was trying to think-- but his brain wasn't letting him. Although insanely uncharacteristic, Sasuke, like most of the student body, was actually scared of Gaara. He had a reputation that rode with rebellions and gangs. Never fun to get caught up in that.

"That's not really an answer you know."

"Sorry. No, I haven't noticed anything," Sasuke stated on default. Under pressure, he didn't always think well, so there was no point in trying.

"Fine. I'll ask him later. You can leave now," the redhead said with a tone of arrogance.

"Mm-hm." Sasuke turned and ducked back into the student council room. He hated leaving like that, and being a chicken-shit, but Gaara had kicked his ass a few times prior. He didn't really want it happening again. As soon as he went to throw out his coffe cup, he had a stack of papers shoved under his nose.

"Deliver. Back building. All classes. _Now_." He didn't even get to protest to Neji before he was pushed out the door. He made a sound of annoyance in the back of his throat as he pressed on to the second building of the school

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((8:20 AM))

"Alright!" Asuma said from his spot in front of his first class of the day. He turned to the board and picked up his Expo marker. ""Today," he said as he started scribbling on the board, "we're going to start trigonometry."

Naruto perked up a little when he heard the groans of the other students. School had started, so he toned in a _bit_.

"Don't moan," Asuma ordered. "I can't smoke on campus, so don't give me shit." The class just dulled down to murmers. "Okay then. Now, the first thing about trigonometry that you need to know is that it's all about triangles. We're going to start off with finding missing measures of sides. If you don't have a calculator, I advise you get one now."

Everyone, except Naruto, got up to get one from the front of the classroom. Kiba was kind enough to bring him his like he did every other Monday. The blonde mumbled out something that sounded like thank you but stayed in his lax position.

"Got one?" Asuma called from the front again. "Good. Now, the first thing you need to know about triangles are these four terms: pythagorean theorem, sine, cosine, and tangent. Now, those last three functions can be found here on your calculator, and--" A knock on the door cut him off. He sighed and said, "Come on."

"Sorry professor, but I was asked to deliver these. Could you take the time to read it?" Sasuke asked as he stepped in.

"Sure." Asuma took the paper off the top of the stack and skimmed it. "You need to take somebody, huh?" He turned back to his first period and frowned. "I take it no one actually wants to miss this unimaginably hard lesson?" No one moved. "Of course not. So let's see..." His eyes wandered over the heads of his students, but he couldn't find a certain one. He could normally point out the yellow shock that sat in the middle of the room.

"Sir?" Sasuke called impaciently from the door.

"UZUMAKI!!" Asuma shouted as he slammed his fist on the corner of his large desk.

"PYTHAGORUS!!" he shouted back as he bolted up in his seat. He looked around as the surpressed laughter rippled through the room. He sighed and looked at his teacher with an expression of exhaustion. "Sorry."

"Again, this isn't history, Naruto."

"But... Pythagorus created the Pythagorean Theorem, right?"

Asuma mumbled curses on his life to himself. "Get up and go with this guy since you obviously don't care enough to listen to my lesson."

Naruto slammed his head on his desk with a groan of self-disgust. "Yes Sir," he grumbled as he dragged his feet to the door. When he made it out, he leaned on the nearest wall and dropped into a light doze.

"Uhm... Thanks," Sasuke said before leaving the room. Turning to Naruto after shutting the door he asked, "What is wrong with you?"

"I'm just tired," the younger stated with a yawn.

"Naruto, why are you always like this?"

"I'm a busy person," the blonde said as he slid down the wall. "Attacks of pain in the middle of the night every now and then aren't fun either."

"That's still bothering you?"

"And it's going to keep bothering me. I don't mind so much." He stopped to yawn. "I usually sleep in the morning, but I didn't get that chance today."

"I see."

"So, what do you need kids for again?"

Sasuke reached over to pull Naruto to his feet. As he did so, he said, "Hyuuga. I think he's taking a poll or something."

"Right. You didn't read the papers?"

"No. And he gave me too many. I've got like... ten left; that was the last class."

"I wanna see." Naruto swiped one of the flyers and brought it up under his face to read it. "It says: To which ever professor this may concern, The student council is holding a poll of the student body for the retreat trip in the up-coming month. We ask that you lend one student that won't be a bother to part with to aid us in this action. Please excuse your choice student from work or class time so he slash she won't have to make it up."

"That sounds about right. He's taking it upon himself to run the council now, huh?" Sasuke threw the other papers into a nearby trashcan easily. "He's got some nerve."

"Alright there?" Naruto called from his spot on the wall again.

"I don't care how old he is; I run the council dammit!"

"Sasuke, what the hell?" Naruto demanded when Sasuke kicked at the wall. "Dumbass! Instead of bitching about something so stupid, why don't we go back to the council room, and then you can piss and moan about a stack of papers?"

"Shut- up."

"No. You're the one crying over something so idiotic as this. I thought you were bigger than that, Sasuke?" Naruto crossed his arms and sent a leer in his elder's direction. Sasuke just glared right back. "And I don't think he's trying to run the council, baka. I think he's just trying to get the trip together."

"Says you, you don't know Hyuuga."

"So what? You're just being a baby about something retarded for, what I assume, is a retarded reason." Naruto finally pushed himself off the wall, totally forgetting about the idea of rest, and started off down the hall.

"Where are you going?" Sasuke called after him.

"Where else, dumbass?" he scoffed without stopping. "I can't believe you're being so stupid right now. What is it? Withdrawl? PMS? Some kind of craving for something? If you asked me, I'd say you're just acting like a woman."

"You're one to talk," Sasuke said from some yards away after he'd started following his blonde friend.

"I know. Guess I'm smart, huh?"

"Apparently not."

Naruto turned around, anger clearly plastered on his face. "Don't fuck with me; I'm tired. I get mad real quick when I'm tired."

"Oh... That's why you're bitching at me? Any other time you'd just brush it off, right?"

"No," Naruto corrected as he started walking backwards. "I'd still be bitching. I'm just giving you a warning before I snap on your ass."

Sasuke just cocked an eyebrow. "Idiot," he said before shoving the blonde a bit so that he almost ran into a water fountain.

"Cut it out Uchiha," he ground out before falling into step next to his friend again. Sasuke just pushed him, and he almost stumbled into a trashcan. "Dammit... I'm really serious here," he said rather forcefully.

"I'll take a chance," the raven-haired teen said before tripping him into a door.

"Dammit Sasuke!!" Naruto recovered quicker than he normally would have and slammed his right fist into Sasuke's cheekbone. He stumbled back, taken off gaurd, and rubbed at his assulted features. _((note 1))_

"What the hell--?"

"I said leave me alone you ass!!" Naruto shouted before stalking off down the stairs.

"Jesus..." Sasuke moaned as he walked behind the blonde down the stairs. "Doesn't tired mean out of energy? I think you almost split me face..."

"I told you to stop," the petite stated bluntly.

"Well, yeah, but... You never hit me that hard in any fights or anything. Not even when I was on you in the halls."

"Get over it."

"Aww... You're mad at me," Sasuke said like he hadn't known the fact already. "What'd I do?"

"Nothing. I'm tired. Shit... I said that already."

"Then that punch had to take everything out of you, huh?" Sasuke finally let his hand fall from his abused face and poked the tiny freshman in the head.

"Please don't mess with me," Naruto more so ordered while his head bobbed back. Kityasha's effects were starting to wear off a bit too soon for his liking nowadays.

"But it's fun," Sasuke said as he started veering toward the wall of lockers.

"You don't have to be mean about it though." He stifled a yawn before he felt his back hit the row of metal storage behind him. "Oh come on."

"It's your fault. You made it too easy," Sasuke declared before ensconcing him about the waist. He pulled at the rosy lips before him with his own and listened as a noise crept its way from the back of Naruto's throat.

"Sasuke... don't do this," he begged while he turned his head to escape the rain of kisses on his neck from his class president.

"Why?" he asked, pausing only briefly in his acts.

"Because... I don't want you to if--"

"If what?" Sasuke asked, looking up and pushing his forehead to the younger's.

"If you won't... --how to say this..?-- date me?"

"Hn. Fine then," he agreed before trying to proceed in his activities.

"Excuse me?" Naruto interjected, pushing Sasuke slightly on the chest.

"I said fine; don't ruin this, please?" he beseeched, pinching his waist to pull him out of killing the mood.

"Sasuke... It can't work like that..." the smaller said, pushing him back again.

"Like what?" the obsedian eyed teen whined.

"Sasuke, you can't just side with it to get something."

Sasuke sighed at the lost moment. There was no chance in getting it back now either. "I didn't."

"You did!" Naruto pushed.

"No. If you haven't figured it out, I like things straight forward. All that shit the other morning threw me off."

"Explain?" Naruto asked, moving his hands up to rest on the broad shoulders before him.

"You're gonna make me embarrass myself?" he asked with a slight blush. When Naruto locked his haands behind Sasuke's head and nodded, the Uchiha seemed to wilt before giving his elaboration. "Alright. Well... I guess it goes back to meaning it. The way you said it the first time was too... picturesque. Things never go like that. We're not in a movie, Uzumaki."

"So?"

"So it shouldn't sound rehersed the way it did," the taller concluded.

"Sasuke," Naruto chirped from between him and the wall.

"What?"

"You're re-eee-ed," he teased.

"Stupid," the Uchiha spat in self-contempt.

"You're gonna do it?"

"Of course you idiot."

The tiny boy let a hum wiggle from his vocals in happiness. "Don't be mean."

"That's just how I am," Sasuke declared, attempting to kiss him again.

"You know... you _can_ get sick from this, right?" _((note 2))_

"I know." This time, Naruto let him in. Apparently, Sasuke didn't care if he went to the doctor for whatever his reason because he kept trying-- even when Naruto didn't like him at all. He could catch a lethal illness, and it still wounldn't matter to him. That made Naruto smile. He might've ripped his cheeks open again if he wasn't trying to keep in synch with the apendage that was invading his mouth.

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((8: 35 AM))

"Where the hell were you?" Neji demanded when the two finally joined the rest of the student council.

"Bathroom," Sasuke said, raising his top lip in disgust.

"And you went with him _why_?"

"God... I mean, it's not like we were making a Porn-O or anything. We really did stop to use the bathroom, right?"

"Yes, but don't pull me into your petty arguements, teme," Naruto said while he walked past them. He took a seat next to Hinata's table and decided to strike up a conversation while the other two members put on a debate.

"Naru-chan!" Hinata gushed when he sat down. "Have to ask: Still not looking for someone?" Naruto shook his head. How ironic. He'd normally say no because he wasn't interested. "Alright," she sighed.

"Hey, Hinata-chan?"

"Yeah?" she called from her scheduling in front of her.

"Will you tell me what's so damn great about the Lexus now? Like... three people have tried to tell me, but something always goes wrong. Help me out?" he seemed to beg.

"You still don't know?" she asked, lifting her head to show him a shocked face. He shook his head, and she giggled. "Wow. I thought that would get out sooner or later. It's a huge thing around the estates."

"Estate_ssss_??"

"Oh. Ours and his." Naruto nodded an understanding, so she continued. "So anyway, you know he got it when he was thirteen, right?"

"I've gathered as much."

"M-kay. Well, sixth graders aren't supposed to drive. However, Itachi took him out in their courtyard thing out behind their summer place."

"Why the summer place?" Naruto interrupted.

"His birthday's in July."

"... Right."

"Okay. So, while they were out doing thier little test run, someone said that they saw them in town. The whole house freaked, and started making all kinds of crazy assumptions. As I'm sure you know, Itachi wasn't all bad. He was rebellious though. So, some of the servants thought that maybe he took him out to eat and let him do the driving. That was dangerous, but it wasn't too bad. Then, some other people just heard, 'took him out to eat.'"

"So what?"

"They repeated that somewhere too. But, someone only heard the 'took him out part.'"

"Still not catching it," Naruto stated.

"Naruto, what does taking someone out mean in the common sense of the phrase?" Hinata asked as if he were stupid.

"I don't know. I can't think."

"It means that they thought that I was involved with my older brother," Sasuke sighed, suddenly apparating behind Hinata's chair. She jumped a little, but not many people saw it. "Still frigid?" he teased. She just frowned up at him."What?"

"How could you not tell him about that?" she asked.

"Because that's not why it's special," he reasoned. "That's just something that goes around our houses." He poked her hard on the shoulder and she turned back around.

"Right. The real reason it's special is because that's where they always had sex."

Sasuke shoved her hard, and she almost fell out of her chair. "Stop lying!" he ordered after seeing the shocked look that had drawn itself on Naruto's face. "That is _so_ not true Hinata."

"I know," she sighed in a rather bored tone. "Just trying to make things a little interesting."

"I'll send for you when I need entertainment." She huffed, so he added on to make her mad. "Why don't you go molest your cousin you blind freak?"

Hinata actually slammed down her pencil and pushed her scheduling aside. "That was out of line!" she barked.

"So was the bit about my relative."

"And we aren't blind!!"

"It sounds a lot more truthful than a chemical accident far back along the family line though," he sighed to exaggerate. _((Note 3))_

"That is true!" she persisted. He realized that he wasn't going to find out anything about that car, so Naruto watched as their arguement continued. All around the council room there was activity. Gaara was, as expected, working on typing up the notices and articles to go in the paper. After Sasuke had left him, Neji got back on his task of putting the week's paper together and doing research for the next one. Lee was trying to help Tenten with the budget, but she was too full of herself to listen to anyone. Kabuto was actually nowhere to be spotted, he noticed. He decided that he was just on an errand. Leaning back in his chair a bit, he caught sight of the other students that were assembled for the poll. He hoisted himself from his chair and strode over to Neji, who was currently standing behind Gaara who was on the computer.

"What?" Neji asked the tap on his shoulder.

"You ditched us," Naruto said, gesturing to the other fifteen or so out-of-place students.

"Eh?" He actually turned around. "Oh, right," he said straightening himself out. He walked over to join them along with Naruto. Neji removed his glasses and slipped them into his pocket. One girl, out of complete context, asked if that was safe. He just didn't answer her.

"What are we here for, Neji?" Naruto asked from his spot up front.

The pale-eyed boy shot him a look that could freeze magma on the spot. "You and I aren't on first name terms," he explaned, icy venom dripping from every word.

"Fucking lunatic," the blonde mumbled before consulting him again. "Okay, fine. Why are we gathered O Gracious Hyuuga?" he asked with a lavish bow. A giggle rippled through the small audience.

"Don't start with this again, Uzumaki."

"What you mean again?! This is the first time!! And what happened to... I thought--! At the hospital?? Oh nevermind." Naruto settled for dragging his chair closer to his redheaded friend and leaning against him like a recliner.

"Cut the shit, Hyuuga," the insomiac ordered, leering over his shoulder. "I don't like you as is; don't make it worse."

Neji just took a breath and turned back to the other assembled students. "You're taking a poll," he said as if it were a command instead of an explanation. "I'll hand it to you, and then you just check the box you want. Easy as that. Sit if you want." They obliged, and he started handing out the sheets along with pencils.

When he got to Naruto, the small teen just snatched the things and began filling out the sheet on his leg. When he was finished, he told Gaara to take care of it, he said he would, and Naruto left. He started off to his first period again, but he came across that long, winding hallway Iruka had led him down Friday. Out of curiosity, he turned and headed toward what he now knew as the "old" library. He thought he might look around to see why the school didn't really want it anymore. Which actually made no sense to him since they could just remove those books but, whatever makes the board happy.

He reached the large wooden doors and was a bit surprised to see his psychology professor there again.

"Kakashi?" he called out as he neared the entrance.

The lax man looked up and sent him a smile. "Naruto. Shouldn't you be in class?"

"They took me down to the council room," he explaned as he came to a stop a few feet away.

"I see. Well, what is it?"

"I just wanted to see what was so bad about the old library. That's all."

"Oh." Kakashi was silent for a while, seemingly contemplating on his next decision. Being the impulsive person he was, however, he decided to just hand Naturo the book he was reading.

"What is it?"

"Open it first kid." He did so but shut it only seconds after. "Well, that's what's bad about it."

"What was that?" Naruto demanded.

"Porn," the silver-haried man stated in one, point-blank syllable.

"Well... I guess this is my new hideout in school then."

Kakashi cocked a brow and gave him an awkward look. "I'm sorry?"

"No one would think I'm in here with _that_," he explaned. "I'm not one to look at freeze-frame graphics. I skip over those."

"I see."

"Well, I'm going to be late. Buh-bye."

"Third period."

"Gotcha." Naruto started off toward his back building again.

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((10:35 AM))

"Okay Naruto. Make it through third avoiding that prick, Shino, and stomach pains-- and all should be good. Just make it to lunch." Naruto was speaking to himself in his desk by the window. After being sure that he'd be fine, he chose to stare out the window. The bell had rung, but no one was actually worried about being in their seats. So, he dug in his backpack for his special notebook and sat on the window ledge. Even though it was lined paper, he was determined to sketch a good view of the school's garden before the day was out. And his spot, at the moment, was the best that the facility could offer. He started his controlled scribbling contently while he waited for class to start.

"Naruto," someone said from behind him.

Said blonde turned around to look over his shoulder. A scowl distorted his face when he caught sight of the sophomore. "I disown you, so leave me be," Naruto commanded as he turned back to his sketching.

"Naruto, just listen," Neji begged.

"I refuse."

"Why?"

"Are you retarded?" Naruto asked, never looking from his task. "You just snubbed be in first period. I'm not talking to you."

"I want to tell you why I did though. I can't have that?" Neji asked, careful not to sound desperate.

"No. But, here's something interesting. Call me crazy, but I think your ex is trying to hookup with my best friend over there."

"Really, I don't care."

"Excuse me?" Naruto decided he cold maybe stop for this. "Weren't you whining about it the other day? Or am I insane?"

"You're going to make me do this?" Naruto nodded, and Neji ran a hand through his hair. His fingers caught at the elastic band, so he just pulled it out. "Can I sit here?" he asked, gesturing to the other half of the window sill. He got an affirmative, so he sat.

"So tell me. Why the hell did you do that in the council room?"

"Issues." He started twirling his hair at the ends while gazing out the window.

"Plan on elaborating that statement?" Naruto asked, a bit bored with the conversation.

The older boy sighed and flipped his hair over his shoulder. Scowling at the trees outside, he pieced together his arguement in his mind. "Alright. I've got an image and--"

"You've got to be a prick all the time to keep it up?" Naruto guessed.

"In simpler terms, yes." He closed his seemingly pupil-less eyes and started pulling his hair up again. "But you must know, that really is an act. I'm not that bad."

"Yeah I know. I just wish you guys didn't do that." He tossed his book the small distance to his desk and sighed. "Gaara's a bastard, Sasuke's annoying, you're an ass..." Glancing back up, he chanced a spare look at his aquaintence. A smile chose to grace him when a revelation hit. "You know, you've got really long hair, Neji."

"I clap for your intelligence."

"No, really. It's almost as long as my boss's. You should wear it out sometime."

"Why?"

"It'd look better!" Naruto said offering up a smile that couldn't be refused.

"You think so?"

"I do." He stood and dusted off the back of his pants before consulting his elder again. "Now like I was saying, you might want to check on Kankurou before Kiba whisks him away."

"Like I said before: I really don't care."

"Didn't sound that way to me at work," Naruto reasoned while his eyebrows knit themselves together.

"Nevermind it. I'll tell you some other time." Neji sighted as he removed himself to go to his assigned seat.

Naruto flopped in his and placed his head on his desk. But, like the preceeding times of his day, something went wrong. There was a tap on his shoulder and he mumbled out a "huh" to whoever it was.

"Would you look up at me, Naruto?"

The tiny blonde groaned and rolled his head on his desk. "Yes, Gaara?"

"What's wrong with you lately?" the redhead asked as he sat in Sakura's seat. She was in the back of the room talking with Ino, so she wouldn't care. Although, he wouldn't care if she was or not. It just made everyone happy.

"What do you mean?"

"You seem so distracted. What's up?"

"Does it show? I'm sorry." He turned in his desk and propped his feet up on Gaara's lap. Leaning his chin on his fist, Naruto started speaking again. "I guess I'm just starting to let things get to me."

"Like what?"

"Like my fucking stomach pains."

"Naruto," his friend scolded, "I told you to talk to Orochimaru about that. It started a little while after the club, right?"

"Yeah, but it's not that bad... is it?"

"Yes, it is," Gaara said rather assertively, poking him on the shoulder. "I even went as far as asking Uchiha if something was wrong with you."

"Why would he know?" Naruto asked. Gaara was supposed to be unaware of any interaction between the two.

"He kicks your ass on the regular. He'd have to notice something, right?"

"I guess," Naruto mumbled, making sure to hide his relief.

"Say, Naruto..."

"What?"

"You never told me what all that was from. Just when it started. Plan on it?"

Naruto stretched his arms out behind him and yawned. "Why not? Do me a favor though-- be my pillow."

"Alright," the sophomore said with a shrug. He opened his arms and made a motion for Naruto to come over. The boy got up, dragged his feet across the floor, and flopped onto his friend's lap. "That tired, huh?"

"Yep," he admitted, resting his head on the elder's shoulder. "So... when this all started, right?"

"Please."

"Okay." He closed his eyes and frowned, yelling at his memory to recall. "Alright, this is what happened. Well, you know that I was living alone when I was ten, right? Right. Well, I have to go through an alley to get to my place. I was on my way back from school, and I got mugged."

"Since when do you get mugged?" Gaara asked giving him an odd look.

"Since I started going outside. I'm actually very distinguishable. I owe that to Derek."

"Oh, sorry." Gaara looked away after that comment. He had a tendency to bring up bad things on accident.

"S'alright. So, listen. These guys just happened to think I was the cutest damn thing." He lowered his voice to a grumble as he said, "They took me home."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes... They didn't do anything though. I thanked God for that then. If only he spared me the next day as well. See, they took me to Akatsuki because they thought I made a good recommendation. I owe Derek for always being mugged, and the regulars that mugged me for getting me in the club."

"Why'd these people want to mug you anyway??"

"They heard about my escape after sacking my house, and they thought it was amazing. No one _ever_ got away from that duo, apparently." Gaara nodded.

"So, these guys got you for the challenge, then took you to the club?"

"Right, so, you know how everyone starts off there, right? Of course you do. Well, I got _initiated _and was threatened into coming back when I was supposed to."

"So when did that shit start?"

"After my first stage performance. Soooo sucked." He sighed and burried himself further into Gaara's jacket. "One of those bastards took me in the back."

"You're serious?"

"Very. And it hurt so bad... I passed out. That was a year after I started. Luckily, Orochimaru said I could just work the lounge after that. He didn't like the idea of me with other guys... I guess."

"Wait a minute." Gaara grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back a bit. "That was four years ago?"

"You were there. You can count. Do the math."

"Naruto, whatever that is... that could be seriously bad now, man."

Naruto sighed and looked at his friend. "I know," he said, eyes full of despair.

Gaara sighed himself and rubbed between where his eyebrows should have been. "Why haven't you done anything about it yet?"

"I dunno. I could think of a million excuses though."

"You're going," Gaara stated. "And I'm making sure that you get there."

"Excuse me?" he said for the third time that day.

"I'm making you see a doctor. You work in a hospital for God's sake. You should have done it already."

"But Gaara... What if they say something is wrong with me??"

"Then you get it fixed." He gestured for Naruto to scoot off and stood after he did so.

"But what if--"

"You aren't dying. I promise."

Naruto scowled with distrust. "How do you know?"

Gaara actually smiled. "Might be something I've seen before."

Naruto perked from his somber mood. "What was it?"

"I'll tell you if that's what you've got." Naruto sucked his teeth then moaned. "Later." Gaara left him for his seat, and the blonde sat back in his own. Sakura decided to come over after that.

"Naruto!" she shrieked.

"What?" he asked, turning to look out the window again.

"How could you let him steal my seat like that?" she huffed. "And on top of it, you sat on him!"

"We were talking."

"But Naruto! I had to talk to Ino for the longest time because of that!"

"Sorry."

"Don't act like you care!" she shouted. The chatter of the room started to die down a bit as students listened in.

"Sakura... Calm down," he said, turning to look at her with a bit of worry in his eyes.

"No!" she cried. "I won't! No one says anything just because you're friends with that bully!!"

Naruto blinked in utter surprise. "W... what?"

"You heard me!" she scolded. "You do things all the time to piss us off, but we just pretend that we don't care because we think he'll do something!!"

"Is that true?"

"Yes it's true!! Ask anyone, and they'll tell you!!"

He looked around the room waiting for someone to side with her, but no one obliged. "Uhm..."

"Fine!" she shrieked. "Keep pretending then! I sure won't. I'm stuck with him for a month!!" A slight hum started up about the room again.

"Sakura, it isn't that much of a deal. All he did was sit. You could have sitten in my desk for the two minutes."

"Why would I want to?!"

"Alright. I'm sorry. Can you just, stop yelling? Please?" Naruto begged.

"I'm not yelling!!"

"Okay!! You're not yelling. Can you just... sit then?"

"No!! I will not do what you tell me to!!"

"Sakura... I thought you were at least somewhat of a friend..." Naruto looked down at his hands and fisted bunches of his jacket in them. "What's wrong?"

"You're what's wrong!!" she said. "I liked you on Friday, but then I found out what you said about me!!"

"Sakura... I didn't say anything." She shook her head as if it were going to impeed her listening. "Sakura, really. Who told you I said something?"

"It doesn't matter!!" the pink-haired girl continued as the classroom door clicked behind her. "What matters is that you said it!!" The rest of the room was totally silent, but the two of them didn't notice. "No one would say something like that just to say it!!"

"Sakura... can I just ask what I said, then?"

"I'm not repeating that!!" she said as she spread her hands across his desk. "No self-respecting woman would repeat such a thing as--!!" She stopped short when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around, hair whipping her in the face, with an angry scowl in place. "What?!"

"That's enough, Sakura," Sasuke firmly stated. "Sit down. Now."

"Oh... S-Sasuke-kun. When did you get in here?" she asked, giggling nervously.

"A while after you started verbally abusing the poor kid."

"R-really? Well," her tone started to grow louder as she continued, "you don't know what he said about me!! You'd probably be angry with him as well!!"

Sasuke glowered at her and slid his hands in his pockets. "Really, I don't care. And really, I wouldn't mind if he said anything about me."

"B-but Sasuke-kun!! It was so--!!"

"Haruno! That's enough." Sakura was startled at his sudden agressiveness and complied with his wishes. "Alright then. Ino!" he called to the back.

"Y-yes??" she sputtered back immediately.

"What did he allegedly say?"

"Uhm..." She twiddled with her fingers and averted her gaze as much as she could.

"Yamanaka!!" he growled.

"Sakura told me that he said she was a two-faced whore!!" Ino casted her gaze downward and sat in her seat as soon as she'd finished.

"B-but!! I'd never say anything like that!!" Naruto vouched. "Honest!! That's something I'd never tread on!!"

Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Naruto, why wouldn't you?"

"Huh?"

"Why wouldn't you say that?" the elder asked. "I need a reason or I can't fix this."

"I'm not saying that outloud..." He looked for Gaara through the corner of his eye. "Just believe me?"

"I can't. That's my job as class president." He sighed at his inability to just get him off the hook. "I can't let you two off without proof that you wouldn't ever say that."

"Uchiha... you _know_ I'd never say that."

Sasuke sighed in ultimate frustration and rubbed his temple. A thought struck him. "Tenten."

"Yeah?"

"You're the only one he isn't friends with... Do you think he'd say something like that?"

"Uhm..." She seemed to be in thought and rested on her desk to create dramatic effect.

"Tenten..." Sasuke seemed to shoot flames at her as she lagged on the conversation.

"No. I don't."

"There you have it. Problem solved."

"But Sasuke-kun!!" Sakura interrupted as she stood back up. "That isn't fair!!"

"It's decided Haruno. Nothing is going to happen. Be happy," he ordered. "I could send you out for disorderly conduct."

"Sasuke-kun!" she cried. "You'd normally side with anyone over Naruto!! What happened?"

Sasuke smirked. "Are you really that upset that I went against you, Haruno?"

"No! I want to know why you're defending him!! When you came back, you hated him!! It's been two days since I saw you last, you still hated him, and now you're kind to him!!"

"I'll bet." Sasuke sat in his seat and leaned back, waiting for his teacher to show up like the rest of the class. Sakura took it upon herself to confront him further on his actions.

"Sasuke-kun... Why are you being so nice about this?"

"I feel sorry for him."

"Why?"

"That's none of your business."

"But--!!"

Sasuke raised his hand to silence her. He lowered it once she stopped and sighed, rubbing at his shoulder. One of the kittens had attacked him in the night. "Do you want to know?"

"Yes!!"

"What if I said he was my boyfriend?" The room was iced over with a sheet of stunned silence. "Well, what would you say then?"

"Uhm..." She sputtered out incoherant syllables to compinsate for her uneasiness. "Did you really say that? Are you dating? Does that mean that you're gay? If so... since when?!"

A smirk inched aross the pale boy's lips. "I'm joking. Go sit somewhere."

"Naruto sighed miserably as he watched her walk back to her seat next to him. Was what the Uchiha said true? Or was something else troubling the petite boy? Said blonde looked for the person trying to narrate his life. He rolled his eyes when he found him. The student stopped and asked a question. What's up?"

"Go away Kiba," he ordered before folding his arms over his desk and resting his chin in them.

"What's up with you?" the brunette asked, sliding to sit on the corner of the already crowded area. "Hey!" he said poking his friend when he got no answer.

"Did'joo talk to Shino??" Naruto asked, never looking up from his nesting area.

"No," Kiba admitted woefully. "He actually refuses to see me. I guess we really are through, huh?"

"I'm sorry to hear that. You sound upset."

"Oh, that's not why I'm upset. If he doesn't like me, then hell, I'll move on."

"Then what is it?" the blonde asked, looking toward his friend indifferently.

"Aww... Naruto... Please don't look at me out of spite? I hate it."

"Was I?!" the tiny teen cried as he sat back up. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! Are you mad??"

"Are you okay??" Kiba inquired as he put an arm between them for safety.

Naruto pushed out a sigh. "Yeah. So tell me, what's up?"

"I guess Shino just isn't interested anymore."

Naruto scowled. "Nuuuu... I meant what's got you despondent?"

"Oh that." The spikey, brown-haired boy scratched the back of his head before continuing. "Not only is Shino not talking to me, but neither is Hinata. So, it doesn't help much that I'm in hers and Neji's project group because, you know, I don't talk to him."

"Oh... that sucks."

"Yeah. But, on the plus side-- Kankurou says Neji hasn't gotten upset about his breaking up with him."

"So?"

"Sooooo... he said he's giving up on him."

"And that makes you happy?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It very well does!!" How could people not know that Kiba was bi? He was so loud about everything he said. Maybe they just ignored him? That's what Naruto used to do.

"I'm glad for you," Naruto stated with a smile. "I only wish I could say the same for me," he added in a hushed sigh.

"Naruto? Not happy? Over somthing _other_ than his job? Really now?" He rubbed at the blonde locks to hopefully rejuvinate his friend's mood. "Do tell. What it is ma cheríe?"

"Hmm..." Naruto pursed his lips in thought. "Sure. I'm associated with a million fake people, my job gives me hell, I've got to find time off from everything by Friday, and I have to travel across town Saturday. Not all that fun."

"Oh, well... I'm sorry to hear that. I wish I could say something to make it better but... you know."

"You hate that I have that _one_ job that makes me go across town, right?"

"Exactly!!" Kiba slid off the desk and patted Naruto's shoulder before going to his desk again. "I'll see you when class is over, alright?"

"M'kay." He collapsed back onto his desk and closed his eyes, waiting for the sweet, platonic embrace of the Sandman to take him away. For once, he thought he was going to get it. Sadly though, his peaceful slumber was interrupted. He could feel himself wiggling in his seat as that same old repeating dream started up again. He tried to wake himself up, but the image of his parents being slaughted after he left kept him glued into his dreamland.

Kityasha saw fit to take over before he freaked out, and he did so just before the blonde let out a piercing scream. The aggressive sub-being silenced his opening mouth and sat up. He rubbed at his eyes before looking around the room. He spotted that pink blob next to him, the Beetles kid across the room, Naruto's two best friends and-- there!! He smiled when he finally caught sight of Sasuke the next seat over. He thought about what could be done. The way he saw it, there were three options: One, he could stay in his seat. Next!! Two, he could call him over and begin a conversation. Wrong!! He settled for the third choice. He slid out of his seat and sauntered over to the other's area.

"Hey Uchiha," he said easily, bending over to peer into Sasuke's face.

"Alright, Uzumaki??" the obsidian-eyed teen asked.

"Of course." Kityasha settled the frail body to sit comfortably on the edge of the desk just as Kiba had done earlier. "What's up?"

"Are you okay??" He could have taken the nod for an answer, but Sasuke knew better than that. "Come here," he ordered. The blonde did so, and Sasuke let a smirk play its way across his features. "Thought you had me, huh?"

"Not really, no," Kityasha admitted. "I just wanted to say hi. I told you the difference between Naruto and me yesterday, right?"

"You mean the difference that really doesn't matter now?"

"What?" The blonde pulled back a little. "What do you mean by that, Uchiha?"

Sasuke lowered his voice to a dull whisper. "I mean that all that is settled. Doesn't matter if he's straight, he likes me."

"What makes you so sure I'm not the only one who really does?" Kityasha asked just a little offended.

"Because he asked me," Sasuke said triumphantly.

"What?? That's not fair..." He tossed his icy blue eyes to the ground before turning to Sasuke again, pout firmly in place. "I don't care."

"Eh?"

"I'm going to get him to ditch you!!" He was assertive but careful to stay quiet.

"For what?"

"So that I can get you," the impersonator said with a leer. "He doesn't even like guys. As much as I love the kid, I can't let him get this."

"Dude, you've got serious issues." Sasuke sat back in his seat and sighed. "Even if that did happen, wha tmakes you think I'd go for you?"

It was Kityasha's turn to smirk now. "Because I'm the one with the sex-drive."

Sasuke perked up and looked at him like he was crazy. "What the FUCK does that mean?"

"It means that, without me, he's got no interest in relations whatsoever."

"No way," Sasuke contradicted.

"Want to bet? Ask Hyuuga sometime. He's the medical genius, right?" The blonde figure eased itself off the desk and began retreating to its own. "Everything got split up between the three of us. I got that part. I promise I can make it a living hell."

Sasuke got up and grabbed the cocky blonde by the collar of his jacket. He dragged him to a corner of the room and shoved him against the wall. Terror was spelled out all over the young face.

"Uchiha!! What the hell?!" the paniced blonde demanded.

"Cut the shit," Sasuke barked. "No one out does me. And I mean that. Keep your distance while you still can."

"And what are you going to do, huh?" Kityasha took a pause to arrange his arguement. "I mean, it's not like you can beat me up without hurting him, you know. And I'm not going away anytime soon. So really, I'd say you're in the dark on this one. Even if you are a brainiac, you can't do anything to--" He was cut off by a blow to his lower jaw. The force had caused him to bite his tongue, so he spit out the excess blood that had accumulated in his mouth.

"No one gets over on me!!" the Uchiha glowered.

"Bastard. I'll show you who's in charge again!!" Before Sasuke could ask what he meant, the blonde grabbed his head and bashed his forehead into his elder's. The shock caused the brunette to stumble backward and drop his victim. Backing into the large teachers' desk, Sasuke regained his footing and rubbed at his abused crainium. Pulling away his hand, he saw the same blood on his fingers as was dripping down his face. Sudden rage overtook him then.

"Damn it!! I'll kill you!!" he shouted in total disregard of whosoever heard him. He lunged at the smaller body. Just before he'd tackled him to the floor, he saw a flash of panic in the other's blue eyes. Mistake number one was following through with that single action. The second was made when he continued to carry out the assault after they'd hit the floor, still continuing his attack after cries for him to stop.

His third mistake, however, was actually getting up. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have seen how he'd rendered his friend after he'd regained control over his own body. Had he not seen it, Sasuke wouldn't have felt sudden guilt that urged him to run from the room. Had he not run from the room, he wouldn't have caught Gaara's attention. If Gaara's attention wasn't caught, he wouldn't have noticed the gasping, bloody Aryan that was mangled on the floor. If he hadn't seen that, he wouldn't have chased after the Uchiha and gone Cena on his ass. Had he not chased him, Sasuke wouldn't have been caught. If he wasn't caught, he wouldn't have been forced to sit next to Naruto, bandaged and in front of their psychology teacher, explaining things that went on in his classroom for the following two hours.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

1: Kityahsa interviened

2: Naruto doesn't know if his thingy is contagious or not

3: the excuse for their pupilless-ness is that there was a chemical accident about... six generations back. More detail on taht later when Naruto inquires about it


	17. Breakup!

Lovely, isn't it? I will admit, this is a sucky-suck chapter that was necessary, and I hate it. I needed a reason for the thing at the end to happen, and this is what I came up with. I know, you're going to hate me at the end of this way to long thing, but... ah well.

* * *

"So tell me," Kakashi began as he faced the four students in his otherwise empty classroom.

"Tell you what?" Naruto asked, rubbing at his sore jaw.

"Tell me what happened. I mean, don't get me wrong, staring at the four of you has been great, but I actually think that's a waste of my work time." It was true. All they'd done was sit there. Naruto had naturally gravitated to Gaara, and Sakura and Sasuke decided to stay away from those two on opposite extremes respectivly.

"Honestly, I don't remember." Naruto had risen from his friend's side to stretch out his legs. "Last thing I can get before being on the floor is... falling asleep."

Sasuke cringed. Class president or not, battering a student without cause or knowledge is worse than just any gang jumping.

Kakashi, on the other hand, found it to be an interesting statement. "Really now?" Naruto nodded. "So, you just woke up, and he was beating you on the floor?"

"Well, now that you say it like that... it sounds like a bad thing."

"It is a bad thing you idiot," Gaara spat in his stalagtite forming voice.

"You know... That's very annoying," Naruto began. He waited for his teacher to interject, but he didn't. So, he went on. "You, Subakuno Gaara act as though you hate the world along with me. That's a damned lie!! Sakura, I don't know what the hell you're problem is, but you know damn straight that I wouldn't say anything like that about anyone-- especially someone I'm stuck with for the next month!! Suicide much?" He pointed an accusitory finger caked with hatred and dread at his alleged attacker. "And _you_ Mr. Uchiha? Oh. Ho. Ho. Ho... Oh you're dead to me man. Who the hell does something like that? You know, I'm sick--"

"You've been sick for a loooooong time, Naruto." Sasuke waited until the finger dropped back to the side of its owner. Naruto mumbled out a "huh" before he started up again. "I'm not deaf you idiot. I was in the garden. You're actually very loud. Didn't hear the stuff before it, but I sure as hell caught that."

Naruto took a second to collect himself. Had he been a little closer or a little louder, Sasuke would have surely heard about Orochimaru somewhere in the mix. Shortly, his discomfort dissolved and was replaced with anger. "You were spying on me?? What kind of shit is that?!"

Sasuke only heaved out a sigh that was heavier than Jumbo after an _all you can eat._ "Alright, Fuck-face. Chill your ass. I wasn't spying on you."

"Don't call me names, Teme!!"

"Dobe..." Sasuke looked at the younger boy in defiance. "I was doing something down there while you were talking to him, you know. I don't know how you missed me the first time you were sitting in the window. I was like... right there, but whatever. You can be an ass if you want."

Naruto's face swelled up in a pout. "Kakashi!!" he cried. "Make him stop!! He's so degrading."

"Go work it out in the hall," the silver-haired man suggested. Naruto actually managed to grab and drag Sasuke out by the shirt collar. After the door clicked behind them, Kakashi addressed the other two students. "Well, Gaara?" he asked, his smile only half hidden by his long shock of hair.

The redhead turned to the only female in the room after the recent crisis. "So... You've got one hell of aproblem with me... right?" The pink-haired girl laughed nervously.

She thought grimly to herself. _Oh boy..._

_((HALLWAY))_

"Alright, what the hell was all that for, 'Suke?" Naruto asked rather angrily as soon as they'd made it to the hall.

Sasuke took the time to rub his abused neck and readjust the bandages on his face. "What was what for?"

"What the hell were you kicking my ass for?!" Naruto shrieked. "Last I checked, I was sleeping!! And in there!! You acted like you knew what I was talking about when I said I was sick. I was going to say sick of you!"

"Actually, you are sick. And it's not what you were talking to that freak about. Promise."

Naruto huffed and pushed the brunette hard into the wall. "Stop playing around!! Unlike you, I do scar, and I don't like it!! _IF _these are deep enough, I'm going to look stupid as fuck! So just tell me without the jokes dammit!!"

"I said I wouldn't talk about your freakish disease, and I don't know what the other one is. Therefore," Sasuke paused to remove the tanned hands from his clothing, "you need to calm down, Ru. As for beating you up... I don't know. Temporary insanity."

"A disease...?" Naruto sighed in dismay and retreated to sit on the opposite wall. The floor was cold through his pants, but he ignored it.

"What?" Sasuke called from his spot "across" the hall.

Naruto folded his arms over his knees and leaned in the crevices. "That's why I don't ever want to go to the doctor's office."

Sasuke was distraught. What was one to do in that predicament? He was his boyfriend for less than four hours, and already they were having a confrontation. It's not like he could have kept saying that he didn't know why he had done it. But he told Neji that he wasn't going to tell him about the schizophrenia... Then again, he did say that he wasn't telling anyone that they had dated before either...

"Sasuke?" Naruto had barged into the brunette's thoughts and caused him to state a few things outloud:

"So if I do tell him, it wouldn't be a first offense... And Neji can live with it. I mean really..."

"Yo, Sasuke... what the hell??" Sasuke stopped mumbling to himself and looked at the teeny blonde sitting on the floor still. "You're talking to yourself... Plan on sharing some of those thoughts with me?"

Sasuke sighed deeper than he ever had in his lifetime. Running a hand through his hair, he started walking back and forth to try and ease his slight anxiety. Pacing? Oh no, Uchihas don't _pace. _It was just circular stepping in the same spot. No wrong impressions there, please.

"Come on Sasuke, what is it??" Naruto begged. "I didn't think I was sick with something else... Tell me this and I'll tell you something."

"Like what?" Sasuke asked, perking up to the new bribe.

"I dunno. You can ask me something afterward."

"Well..." That had actually changed things a bit. It would benefit to get a free answer. On the other hand, he couldn't ask something too personal because that would feel like he was using him...

"Come on 'Suke!!" Naruto pleaded after his brunette had settled on the floor as well. "Just give me this one?"

"I guess... I could." Sasuke pulled on a shock of his bangs to distract himself from the task at hand.

The blonde rushed to his side and latched onto his shoulder. "Really?!" When he got a nod, there was an intake of breath and a noise that sounded oddly like the fan-girl squeals to Sasuke.

"Please, don't do that..."

"M'kay!!" Naruto calmed down a bit, still holding on to Sasuke's shirt. "So tellllll meee..."

"You sure you want to hear it??" Sasuke asked again, trying his best to back out of the situation without seeming like a chicken-shit again that day. Once was always more than enough.

"Yessss... I don't care how bad it is. Just tell me?? Pleeeeeease?" Naruto begged.

_I shouldn't have done this..._ Sasuke looked away for a moment. _Why can't I get lucky and have godsent distractions like Naruto? Why can't someone just randomly come around the corner and steal me away? Why can't I get--??_

He was cut short when he felt a slight jerk on his collar from next him. Turning to see what this new bother was, he gulped down a few breaths that he was sure would be his last. He'd never had a problem with the school system before, or its officials. However, he wasn't so sure that this time was to congradulate him on something he'd done well.

"What did you do to my brat??" their principal asked with hatred clearly distinct in her eyes. Naruto was being kept behind her with her free hand; he was trying to get her to drop Sasuke. Well, he got his distraction. Clearly, not the type he wanted though.

"Tsunade-sama," Sasuke said, milking the suffix for all it was worth.

"Don't play games," the woman barked, pulling him up a bit from where she was holding him by his jacket. He gagged a bit because of the restriction.

"Baa-chan!!" Naruto whined from his holding place behind her. "Baa-chan, let him go!! Please?? It's not like that anymore!!" he cried, trying his damnedest to get her to comply with his wishes.

"Really?? I don't know if I believe that. You've been sent to my office plenty a time because of something this kid's done."

"But, Baa-chan!!" Naruto started poking her excessively to switch her annoyed attention to him. He succeeded. "He's not an icy bastard anymore..."

"Oh? Why so?" she asked, never releasing her grip on the older boy. He was starting to wonder if he was ever going to go back to his normal school schedule.

"He just isn't, okay?" Naruto pulled on the woman's top to appeal with his cuteness. "Pleeeease let him go??" he asked again. This time, he actually bothered to ask Nikko for a little help. His other, less spiteful being agreed.

Luckily for him, Tsunade took it and let the other freshman go. He made some sort of noise that was a cross between a gurgle and a moan when he hit the floor completely again. Naruto was glad to at least have him out of captivity.

"Thanks Baa-chan," he said, hugging the principal by the arm.

"Yeah... Still don't like him though." The blonde woman shot Sasuke a dirty look on the floor. "So what'd he do?"

"Heh?" the two teens sounded simutaneously.

"What did he do?" she said, pronunciating each word carefully. "He had to do something for you to get like that."

"Ahhh..." Naruto went braindead. He really wasn't expecting her to get that deep into it. Iruka, maybe, but not her. "Mmm... Nothing really. We just made up, that's all."

"Yeah?" The three hallway occupants turned to see Kakashi standing in his doorway. They hadn't heard him open it, so there was really no way of telling how long he'd been watching. "That's great. I can ship you off out of my class then!!" Sasuke and Naruto sent him matching scowls. "Don't get sour. Just go. Your lunch is almost over... Here." He dug into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He lavishly handed each kid a five dollar bill. "Go get an ice-cream or something."

"Really? Thanks, Kakashi!!" Naruto gushed. He was gearing up to give the older man a hug, but, as soon as he'd taken his first step, he was pulled back by his collar. He made a rather large fuss of it as he was dragged off down the hallway. "Aw, come on Sasuke!! Not fair!!" he whined. "I just wanted to say thanks!! I'm a very polite person... That's not nice!! Hey... Dammit!! Let go!! Choking!! Choking!! No really... Sasu...ke..."

Sasuke let him go, finally, and continued on his way to the cafeteria. Naruto scrambled to his feet and sped up to rejoin his comrade. "Sasuke," he called as he ran up behind him. Said Uchiha was reluctant to turn around. "Sasuke!!" Naruto cried again. "Dammit 'Suke!!" There was no hesitation in his choice to ambush Sasuke from the back. In one, fluent movement, he sprung and latched himself to his elder's torso. "I said wait, damn you."

After a short stumble, the brunette had recovered. "What the hell is up with that?!" he shouted, turning his head a little to look at the teen sitting luxuriously on his back.

"What? You've picked me up before-- I'm not heavy, and they took our bags."

"God... Ru, you have to get off so--"

"Carry me to the cafeteria!!" the blonde cried giddily kicking his feet at Sasuke's sides.

Once rejuvinated from his temporary shock, Sasuke plainly said, "No way in Hell."

"Aw... Why?"

"Ru, get down... I'm not carrying you through the school. If we were at my place, it _might _be different. But right now--" he paused to try and push him off-- "you need to get down."

"Bah... you're no fun." Naruto obligedly hopped down to create the cessation of Sasuke's slight whinning.

"Walking next to me should keep you content enough."

"Geez... It's been-- what?-- a few hours? Yeah, and I'm already not liking this."

"Don't say dumb shit like that," Sasuke ordered more than asked. He thought that Kityasha may actually be able to influence things, so it was never good when a negative comment came his way.

"So evil... Look," the blonde said, stopping to hunch over and gesture to the vast hall.

"...At what?" the Uchiha asked, looking around the empty hallway. "Desolation?"

"Exactly! There's no one here. You don't really have a reason to be so mean to me right now." He went back to his normal stance and started walking again. "Don't ruin this just because you like to be an ass. I mean, you've already beaten me up for the day."

"Wasn't really you," Sasuke mumbled.

"Stop talking in tones that I can't even hear." The blonde frowned as he kept his pace down the hall. Out of curiosity, he poked at one of the bandages on his chin and cringed a bit. He quickly pulled his hand away and hissed at the slight pain. "Fucking retard... Can't believe you just up and... Argh!" Naruto puffed out a groan and sent his brunette a scowl.

"Yeah?"

"I'm not even going to ask why you did it anymore..."

"Please don't?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah okay... I'm still going to wonder though. I mean really-- Who just gets up out of nowhere and starts kicking their _alleged_ boyfriend's ass? I can't even think of any _girls _who've ever done that!! If you ask me--"

Naruto wasn't really expecting Sasuke to kick him then. Not only that, he hit the neighboring wall. Before he could regather his thoughts to put up a decent protest though, he felt himself smushed between the cinder-block and Sasuke. Said Uchiha gave one last attempt to make Naruto forget about the earlier predicament. He grabbed the slightly devistated blonde's bottom lip between his own two and pulled. Naruto shut his eyes and let loose the tension that he had built up before he figured out what was going on.

The brunette took the action as a reason to keep going and slipped his hands under both Naruto's shirts, grabbing him by the hips. After getting the sudden squeeze, Naruto gasped, and Sasuke greedily darted his tongue inside the unexplored carvern. The smaller of the two tried to push him off by grabbing him by the shoulders, but, once Sasuke had lapped at the roof of his mouth, Naruto moaned and melted into the embrace of the other teen. Sasuke tangoed with the other's tongue and started to massage his sides, up and down.

Naruto wiggled a bit between Sasuke and the wall to escape before someone showed up in the hall, but Sasuke would not allow it. He pushed against him harder and deepened the already too passionate kiss.

So, Naruto gave up. He switched out the pushing for wrapping his arms around Sasuke's neck. He stopped wiggling and started corresponding with his mouth. He ceased whining and decided to mumble instead.

"Sasuke..."

"What?" the elder ground out against the fleshy, pink lips.

"What if someone sees?"

"No one's going to see," he promised. "I can't be gay, remember?"

"M'kay." So the dispute was settled. Naruto happily tried to outdo his partner in the battle of their slippery appendages. He figured he was winning since the squeeze on his hips kept getting tighter and tighter. The grip on his waist prompted him to squeak in slight discomfort, so Sasuke decided to solve that problem. He moved his hands further up the tan torso to run them over the smooth chest and tease with his erect nipples.

"'Suke... don't do that," Naruto begged as his felt his pants start to bunch a bit. Even before he wanted them to be together, he normally got some sort of arousal. It was just far more prominent now that he actually liked him.

Sasuke detatched himself and looked the other boy in the eye. "Why?"

Naruto frowned. "I only have two uniforms. It was bad enough when I hated you."

"Well in that case, I'll shrink one of mine." He pressed his lips to the cut in the corner of Naruto's mouth before moving down to rain kisses on his neck. He placed his tongue at the base of the scarred jaw and left a wet line down to his collar bone. He blew a cool puff of air on the newly marked trail, pulling forth a noise from the tiny freshman. But, when he started his hickey-leaving habit on the untainted side of Naruto's neck, the blonde tugged on his midnight locks.

"Don't mark it again, Sasuke."

"You always find a way to make things difficult, don't you?" Sasuke sighed and moved his hands back to the tiny waist. Resting his forehead against the other somewhat warmer one, he gave Naruto a peck and stayed there.

"Sorry."

"Eh... I've lived this long, I think I can go a little longer." He eased off of the blonde and pulled him away from the wall by the hand. "Come on, we'll go get something before the cafeteria closes."

Naruto smiled and gave Sasuke a quick hug, unwilling to let his hand free. "You're being awefully nice about this. Is it to compensate for earlier?"

Sasuke groaned before letting go and trying to pull Naruto's hair over his dancing eyes. Looks like his plan hadn't worked afterall. "Shut-up," he said with half a smile in place on his lips. Naruto shook his head free and latched back onto Sasuke's side.

"Alrght. I'll try to forget about it," the blonde said half-heartedly. "Whatever bizarre reason you had must've been a good one."

"Yeah... You could say that, I guess." He wrapped his arm around the other's small waist as they walked. "God... just don't hate me for it, please?"

Naruto sighed and took a moment to count reasons why he shouldn't get mad. He got two. One, it would ruin his week, therefore he would have nothing good to report to Itachi. And two, he wasn't going to like the next month he had to face while doing the project. "Alright, I think I can live with it. I mean, you did kick my ass whenever I _asked _you before."

"God... Stop saying things like that. Are you trying to make me feel bad? I mean, it already sucks enough that I was willing to beat you like that just because you brought up my brother."

"Hey, any reason for those times?" Naruto asked. "I'll drop this one if you tell me why you got so pissed back then."

"Hn. Okay, it might kill my erection before we get there." Ignoring Naruto's odd blush, Sasuke dropped his arm and slid his hands in his pockets. "Itachi left. I didn't really mind that he did, it's just how. He never told me why, so I don't have the slightest clue where he is. He could be out of the country or in this city. Without that intel, I can't find him and ask why he left."

"You're bent on finding out... why?" Naruto asked, careful not to give away any signs that he knew of Itachi.

"He was my brother," Sasuke said vaguely. "Why wouldn't I be? I mean really, he was one of the most important people I knew."

"You still know him," Naruto reasoned. "And what do you mean important?"

"I mean I ...'love' him," the onyx-eyed teen said, practically straining himself to say the word.

"Do you really? Even after the bust and leaving a few years later?"

"Of course," Sasuke scoffed like it was common knowledge. "That's a long time to know someone. Not only that, he was the person that made life bearable in that hellhole of a house."

"Aww... That's so sweet 'Suke," Naruto crooned. "I never thought you'd be one for sentimentality."

"I'm human, aren't I?"

"Honestly, I didn't think so these last few years."

"You know, I think you're enjoying putting me down like this."

"Oh no, never me," the blonde said, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm not so heartless."

"Of course not," Sasuke agreed, pulling one hand free of his pants. With it, he took the small chin and pressed his lips to Naruto's temple.

"You know, you're a very affectionate person. Never would have guessed that either."

"Sorry, but you won't be seeing it much longer," the brunette said with a little regret. "That would be the cafeteria, and that means we're about to rendezvous with other students."

"I don't like this," Naruto stated as he pulled his phone from his pocket. "It's so asinine... Hey, while no one's here, give me your number?"

He did, and Naruto stored the digits in his phone. "Since when do you have a cell?" Sasuke asked.

"Yesterday," he replied before stashing it away again.

"I gathered as much."

Naruto rolled his eyes as they approached the large room. Shouts and jeers of laughter could be heard from their position down the hall. "You really are both asses," the blonde mumbled to himself.

"I like your voice, let me hear it." Sasuke rubbed the smaller boy's shoulder just before they rounded the corner to the cafeteria. "Well, Uzumaki, I think we're done for a while. I might see you in home room."

"Later." Naruto watched him walk off to join the almost diminished line by the snack-bar. After standing in the same spot for so long, he heard someone call his name. Looking around, he spotted Kiba and walked over to their usual table. Already in their chairs were Kiba, Kabuto, the new kid, Shikamaru and Chouji. The latter two were talking to each other and didn't seem like they would be contributing much to the conversation.

"Hey," the blonde said cheerfully as he sat down next to his shaggy haired friend.

"Oh man, Naruto, that was kick ass," Kiba declared as soon as his friend was seated. "Oh? You've got a few cuts though, huh?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto asked, clearly oblivious to the topic of Kiba's praise.

"You swinging back at Uchiha," the brunette said as if it were the most obvious thing ever. "But the headbutt thing was really cool too."

"Again... What the hell are you talking about?"

"Naruto... are you feelin' alright, man?" Kiba was going to get an answer, and he was sure he was going to hear it. However, he was put into a headlock before he had a chance to. "The FUCK?!" he managed to choke out before he was deprived of his natural ability to breath.

"Jesus Kank'! Let him go!" Naruto cried.

Once released, Kiba collapsed into his chair. Moments later, he rose to shout at the junior. "What the hell is wrong with you?! I was distracted, Kankurou!! Others are fine, but please refrain from assaulting me in _that _situation!"

"I'm sorry," the older boy said, enveloping the infuriated freshman in his arms.

"You suck," Kiba said finally giving in. Turning in the embrace, he was able to face Naruto from his forced standing position. "What was the quesion?"

Naruto smiled devilishly. "Answer this other one first: dating or still denying?"

"Oh yeah... You don't know. Well, after Subakuno went to kick Uchiha's ass for slaughtering you on the floor-- even if you were putting up a good fight at first, the class got sent here. Been here for like... a long time already."

"So?"

Kiba sighed. "Yes, we are."

"Alright! Good for you," Naruto cheered. "Now, what the hell were you talking about? I never hit Sasuke. I was sleeping."

Kiba looked at him like he was stupid. "Dude, you were talking to him right before he pinned you to the wall."

"Kiba, you aren't making sense man."

"Yeah, he is," Kanurou said from behind his new lover. "Do you not remember it?"

"I remember waking up, and Sasuke was charging at me from Kakashi's desk."

"Naruto," Kabuto said from next to him, "that was the very end of it. You didn't hit him after that, how do you think he got the cut on his forehead?"

"...Gaara?"

"He doesn't go for the face," Kiba explained. "Subakuno is more of an internal damage kind of guy. I know from experience."

"Poor kid," the older boy behind him said before squeezing him tightly and kissing the back of his head through his brown mop of hair.

"Eh, he'll live. But regardless," Naruto began, "I don't remember any of that."

"Well, then you must have gotten you're ass kicked pretty thoroughly," Kiba commented. "I mean, you hit him back like... twice. You should at least remember that if nothing else."

Naruto shook his head. "Sorry. Nothing."

"You really are a dunce," his friend said.

"That's not true Kiba," Naruto replied, sinking into his chair a bit. "I'm not a dunce... I just fall asleep on the tests since it's so quiet." His voice had been reduced to a mumble toward the beginning of his statement.

Kiba sighed. "I know, I know... I just forgot. Sorry, man."

"It's okay... But hey!! Moving on from depressing topics-- Goten was it?" The newcomer nodded. "Dude, you need to go to the doctor for some things man. That was really disturbing."

The small boy blushed an undiscovered shade of crimson to everyone else's astonishment. They didn't know what was going on, but he was clearly embarrassed.

"Naruto, what was that?" Kankurou asked. He was now sitting in Kiba's chair with the shorter brunette content on his lap.

"What? Oh, don't worry about it. But hey!! You've really got to get over what it is that won't let you go."

"Ano..." Goten hesitated before continuing. "Well, you see," he started, his voice heavy with an accent, "I don't like the doctor's. I always think they're going to try to poison me or something."

Naruto gasped in mock shock. "A moot point," he said, "but I myself work at a hospital. We've never tried to kill off our guests. I don't think anyone working in a medical place like that has the guts or they would be working somewhere else. Everyone in a hospital is a pansey or they're just a really secluded person."

"Really?" Goten asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Seriously. I'll take you over there sometime if you want. You can walk around with me for a while."

The small boy perked up. "R-Really?? I can hang out with you?" he asked, not even trying to hid his glimmer of hope.

Naruto laughed at his enthusiasm. "Yes, really. I don't think anyone with have a problem with it. Of course, you'd have to ask Konohamaru first. He's normally my hosiptal body."

"Oh, okay," the young boy said. He was glad just to have an invitation somwhere.

"And don't back out of it either," Naruto warned. "If you do, and I don't have that kid with me, I'll be upset. So-- what are you all looking at?" he asked after breaking off. Everyone had inclined their line of sight to gaze somewhat above his head. He spared a look over his shoulder and almost fell backward out of his chair.

"What?" Sasuke asked, a growl hinted in his voice.

Naruto looked him up and down. "Hey! _You're _behind _me_, Uchiha."

"Here," he said with a gaze of indifference as he held out one of his two orange cream-sickles.

"Poison?" Naruto suggested.

Sasuke rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. "Again, papers are too much for a lazy person like me."

"And you are lazy," Naruto said with a slightly crooked smile. He was trying to keep it down.

"Just take it," Sasuke ordered, dropping the dessert in the smaller boy's lap and pulling his hair.

"Oh, hey!" the blonde cried, grabbing the elder's attention before he was out of earshot.

"What?"

"How'm I getting home today??" Naruto asked, a touch of innocence in his question.

The Uchiha smirked behind the frame of his bangs. "What kind of question is that, Uzumaki?"

"The kind I was expecting to get an answer to," he said, arching his brow.

Kiba reached over and poked him in the arm. "What the hell?" he whispered from Kankurou's lap. Naruto ignored him.

"Really though," Naruto started again. "Explain it to me. I need to know what's going on so I can tell a certain two people."

Sasuke looked at him for a moment. "Is that for real?"

"Yes," Naruto hissed. "Just because _they_ aren't there, it doesn't mean that I don't have to answer to _someone._"

"I'm _so _sorry. Don't snap on me Dobe," Sasuke said with a scowl. He tugged on a shock of hair that served as his chin-length bangs.

Naruto sighed in something like annoyance. "Just tell me?"

"Worry about it when the time comes." Sasuke leaned over a bit and poked the bruise that had fomed on Naruto's forhead. He yelped.

"Sasuke!!" He reached up and ripped one of the sticky bandages off of his face. "Cut it out!!"

Sasuke straightened up and sighed. "Yeah, okay. Well, I'll see you later Uzuma--" Again, he was cut off. After being shoved rather roughly, he had to stumbled to catch his balance again. Naruto just watched the scene as soon as he'd noticed that Neji was walking up to them.

"Reason you pushed him was..?"

"Needed to talk to you," Neji said, lacking all emotion. It did make sense enough that most people would catch it.

The whiskered teen just stared at him. "About what?"

"We need to designate a time for that teaching thing... What are you doing, Uchiha?" he asked, sending his distant cousin a look of annoyance.

"Standing," Sasuke replied. "After being thrown across the room, I figure that I can reappear and use your shoulder as an armrest."

Neji only sighed.

"So, what day is good for you?" the pale-eyed sophomore asked.

"... Sunday. That's it. Only day that I'm not busy to an extreme extent." Naruto nodded as if it would add more truth to his statement.

"Why not Saturday?" both council members asked. Sasuke wanted to know what he was doing, and Neji just wanted to know why he couldn't get him to himself sooner.

"I probably won't be home Saturday," the tiny blonde said.

"Why?" they asked again.

Naruto sighed in slight frustration. "I'll be doing that project on Friday."

Neji was still confused, but Sasuke, what with his superiority and all, finally caught on. "I get it."

Naruto gave him a thumbs-up. "Wonderful," he said with no tone in his voice.

"Explain to me, Sasuke," Neji demanded.

Sasuke just shook his head and patted the Hyuuga's shoulder. "Sorry dearest cousin, but I can't do that. He obviously doesn't want other people knowing, so, if you didn't get it, you didn't get it."

"You're telling me later, Uzumaki," Neji said with a octave of authority in his voice.

Naruto just shrugged and nodded. "Sure." He wantched Neji stalk off before addressing Sasuke again. "You really suck at being inconspicuous, Uchiha. Even I do a better job at this."

"You're acting all the time," Sasuke stated in his monotone.

"So are you!!" Naruto declared with fake surprise. "Last I checked, you've been acting since the sixth grade!!"

That got him an icy look that could have frozen Hell twice. "And you started in fifth. You've got two years over me."

"Two?"

"I'm a year older, remember?"

"...Right." Sasuke was still wrong, but Naruto decided against pursuing it any further.

Sasuke just shook his head. "Eat your ice-cream," he called over his shoulder before retreatng back to his table and taking his seat across from Neji. They immediately engaged in an arugement, so Naruto assumed everything was fine. That is, until he turned back to the other occupants of his own table.

They were all eyeing him with their own distinct faces. Shikamaru and Chouji had disbanded their conversation to listen in and wore identical masks of idiocy. Kabuto only looked a little shocked. Kankurou couldn't contribute much to the surprise since he didn't know Naruto all that well to begin with. The same went for their foreign guest. Kiba, however, was utterly baffled. It didn't bother him that much that they'd just attacked each other and were speaking on friendly terms; it was the fact that both council members were intent on talking to Naruto when the both of them supposedly despised him. They even dropped that wall of protection they always kept up. The idea of them being friendly outside of their own little circle of members is what really got under his skin.

"What?" Naruto asked after a short assesment. The few that were staring long enough finally realized that they were and averted thier gaze. Kiba, however, did not.

"Naruto," he started. He paused for a moment before pulling together the ideas he needed. "What did you just do?"

"Talk to two people who hate the air I breath." He nodded as if it would assert his point without opposition. Kiba picked that to be a new evasive tactic.

"Exactly," he stressed. "Since when are you chummy with those two?"

Naruto groaned in disbelief. Since when did Kiba pick up on things? Then he thought about it. He was one of his best friends, and he did complain to him often about the council members. Not only that, he always said how he didn't have time to get with people on the weekends, so it didn't make sense that they had buddied up during the short break from school.

"Kiba," the blonde whined to try and swing himself off the hook. "Don't pick out things like that. It makes me think that you're watching me." He cringed away to strain his point.

"Anyone would pick up something like that," the brunette stated. "Even Haruno got it man. That's when you know it's noticable."

"Alright, so I've decided to make amends with some people. Big deal. It keeps me out of trouble."

Kiba just shook his head. "I don't see why you have to lie to me, Naruto." He watched as the tiny teen pushed back in his chair and rolled his eyes. "You know what? Don't tell me. I don't care." Kiba ended his statement with a frown when he crossed his arms across his chest. He leaned back onto his boyfriend and let him wrap him in a loose-fitting hug.

"Kiba, don't get like that..."

"Too late, already done." The dog-lover turned up his nose and hurumphed. Kankurou squeezed him tighter and kissed him behind the ear to scare off his poutiness. Luckily for Naruto, it semi-worked.

Taking the chance, he said, "For you Kiba... I'll spill." Naruo sighed when there was an instant perk in his friend's attitude. "You just have to wait until later."

"Why?" Kiba asked, a bit suspicious.

Naruto smiled half-heartedly. "I've got to tell someone else first."

"Who? Gaaaaaaara?"

"Yep."

Kiba faltered a bit. "I guess you would tell him first, huh?"

"Sorry. Obligations. I have too."

"Yeah, I know." Kiba looked at the clock before addressing the blonde again. "It's almost time to go to fourth... Are you going to eat that?"

Naruto looked down at the long forgotten frozen dessert in his lap. "Well," he said picking it up, "I didn't eat the last one. So, it wouldn't be a first offence. You can have it." He tossed it to his friend, and Kiba caught it with ease. After peeling the wrapper off, he scratched at the flaking make-up on his cheek.

"Thanks."

"Kiba... why don't you just wash that stuff off?" Naruto asked. "It's kind of-- crusty."

"Hey, he keeps his on; I'll keep mine."

"Do you really?" Naruto asked, leaning back to see if he could catch a glimpse behind Kiba's back. "I mean, he makes it seem like yours is agonizingly long to put on."

"That's because it is." Kankurou leaned out from behind Kiba. How the sight had passed him before, Naruto didn't know, but, looking at it now, he was more than shocked. The immense abundance of purple paint was so cleverly crafted and alluring to anyone's eyes. Had he caught it before, he probably would have stared at the junior the entire time.

"Wow," was the single word that managed to dribble out from between his lips.

Kiba smiled, totally forgetting his previous anger. "You have no idea how long it takes to put it on," he stated, the pride clearly present in his voice. "I bet even your artsy ass couldn't figure out the system."

"I think you're quite right," Naruto agreed. It did look too complex for him. He couldn't even figure out where one would start with the process. Placing the new comer under scrutiny, which he had absolute authority to do, he got up to examine the make-up further. Motioning for Kiba to move, Naruto took his spot and glared at the purple paints and blushes.

Kankurou looked anywhere but at the probing eyes. When he finally found Kiba again, he saw that he didn't mind it at all. That made him mad. In fact, it made him furious. That's the reason he'd given up on Neji-- he didn't care. He was about to bark out a protest so that he could get up and kick Kiba around a bit, but Naruto stopped him with a wave of the hand.

"Don't flatter yourself, Subakuno." Kankurou just sent a piercing leer in his direction. Naruto rolled his eyes before returning to his work. "Kiba just knows that I'm not interested is all. Trust me, he wouldn't let anyone sit on his boyfriend's lap." The blonde moved in closer and pushed the shaggy brown hair out of the way of Kankurou's forehead. "If it were anyone other than me," he said, tryig to determine how Kiba got it to his hairline without getting it in his hair, "he'd most likely rip them apart. That's the kanine in him."

Kiba sent a scowl to the back of the blonde bush. "Any _normal _boyfriend would."

"Mine wouldn't," Naruto mumbled. Even Kankurou had trouble hearing him. "He'd probably kill the 'bastard' on the spot." He did, however, hear it.

"Uhm... why?" Kankurou asked from under his inspector.

Naruto pulled back a bit to study him. "You heard that?" The older boy nodded. "Don't tell anyone," Naruto said with a frown as he leaned back in, "but he's very protective. I think there are only two people in the school who can actually hand it to him."

"Didn't think you'd have one," he whispered back. Kiba was getting a bit uncomfortable since he didn't know what was being said then.

"Hm... I guess you couldn't really call him that though anyway. To you, Kiba's your boyfriend. To him... I think I fall somewhere between that and husband."

"Really?? How long?!"

"Too loud..." Naruto warned with a pout in place. "I'll fetch him if I must. I don't mind slandering his name. I'd be forgiven sooner or later."

"S-sorry."

Naruto nodded and and continued with his hushed conversation. "It's funny really. It's only been a couple hours."

"... And he's like that? I'm not even that bad."

Naruto let a smile grace him. It was fun talking to Kankurou. He actually knew how to hold a conversation. "Well, you'll figure out who it is. You'll find out why he's an ass about everything... And you'll see why no one can know about this." He put a finger to his lips before straightening up. "It's not really that hard to pick up on."

"You sure?"

Naruto nodded. "Very. He's been eyeing us for a while. He looks quite mad actually," he said with a less caring tone.

Kakurou just stared at him. "He's going to kill me?!"

Naruto laughed, careful not to be too loud. "I won't let him, Kank'. I promise he won't get that far."

"Okay, get off," Kiba ordered. The fact that it sounded like a growl actually fit him quite well. He'd already finished off the ice cream and shredded the stick it was on into a million pieces that he'd left in a pile on the table. Shikamaru was at work trying to put them back together. Chouji watched with Goten, and Kabuto had left to join the council.

"Chill doggy," Naruto said. He turned back to his new aquaintance with a goofy grin in place. "Very over-protective for the guy on the bottom, isn't he?"

"I-I'm sorry??" the purple-painted boy replied, a scarlet blush breaking through his violet taints.

Kiba, out of embarrassment, puched Naruto as hard as he could in the back of his shoulder for that comment. Naruto'd forgotten how sleeping in his own, uncomfortable bed cramped him up until then. The small teen yelped, and he heard an immediate commotion two tables away. He didn't have to look up to guess what happened.

Without a second thought, he hopped up, rubbing his sore neck rather than his assaulted joint. He pushed Kiba onto Kanurou and took his own seat quickly. He prayed that those three would stay over there. _Really_ prayed. And he wasn't even religious.

To his dismay, however, they did not. He looked up and saw just those three standing next to their table rather than sitting at it. Naruto groaned and dropped his head on the surface in front of him.

"What's wrong with them?" Kiba wondered aloud. "What's wrong with you?" he asked after turning to Naruto for an answer.

"You hit me," he grumbled from his position. "Now, all three of them want you dead."

It took a minute for that to sink in through Kiba's dense skull. He gasped in horror when he took hold of the reality. "What?! Why the secret service all the sudden?!"

"That's my new posse, sadly. You should have picked _that_ up by now."

"Hey!! No! I understand Gaara... but you just got in a fight with Sasuke, and you never liked Hyuuga!! What's up with that?!"

"Don't know. They're freaks."

Kiba swallowed passed a very large, and yet to have been developed, lump in his throat. "Call 'em off for me?"

"Why?"

"WHY?!" Kiba checked over his shoulder. Did they move? It looked like they were coming at him... just very slowly for some reason. Were they arguing with each other? Kiba shook his head. Not the right time to think about that. "Because I'm your best friend, and you know that wasn't supposed to hurt you!!"

"Well, duh." Naruto sat up partially. "I know that, Inuzuka, but--"

"But what?! Oh no... Inuzuka?? You're that mad?? Oh... you're gonna let them kill me, aren't you?"

"Let me finish," Naruto growled. He huffed a breath through his nose before continuing. "You said so yourself, it's almost time to go. I doubt they'll make it over here at the pace they're going."

"Why??"

"They're trying to be too inconspicuous. Moving that slowly, they're bound to be caught by the--" The last word of his sentence was drowned out by the piercing screech of the bell. With a sigh, Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out again. He punched in a quick text and snapped it shut.

"What'd you do?" Kiba asked in his desperation.

"I sent him a text. That hard to figure out for ya??"

"Who?"

"Gaara, who else?" Narto asked rolling his eyes. He stood up, grabbing the bag that Kiba had brought from Kakashi's room for him. After slinging it over his shoulder, he said bye to the people and his table and took off out of the cafeteria. He checked over his still-good shoulder to see that Gaara recieved his message. The redhead was looking at his own phone just before he cracked a smile.

After scanning the room, Gaara caught sight of the blonde. He was, after all, easy to point out. Once he spotted him, he waved and turned back to the other council members that were ready to pounce on the theatrical freshman. Naruto saw them nod, so he finally stepped out of the hall and headed off to his homeroom class. The hall was crowded, but he made it nonetheless. With his thin frame, he bobbed and weaved through the crowds that blocked his way.

Finally stepping in to Kurenai's room, he said hi to one of his few female teachers. After he got a greeting back, he started off toward the back of the room. He liked teachers that kept things in alphetbetical order; he was last no matter what. That put him in the dark spot of the room. That meant he could sleep. However, it also meant that he was close to Sasuke if he was in the class with him. He was, in fact, the only other person he knew with a surname that started with the letter "U".

He was happily laying with his head on his desk when he heard the one next to him shift. Naruto groaned when he was nudged on the shoulder. Why couldn't Sasuke have a meeting? Turning over in his arms, he tried to ignore the unwelcome company. Sasuke didn't give up though; he poked him. The blonde decided that flipping him off would be hint enough to leave him the hell alone. The Uchiha, however, took it as a sign to piss him off farther. He flicked Naruto behind the ear before the small student sat up with a very unpleasant look on his face.

"What."

Sasuke frowned. "Just seeing if you were alive," he said. Turning to sit in his desk properly, he leaned forward on his hands while the bell shrieked again.

Homeroom commenced.

With his safety from the shrouded corner of the class, Naruto decided to strike up a hushed conversation.

"Teme... You idiot!!" Sasuke just shifted his eyes to the right. No point in turning his whole head and getting caught, right?

"What now?" he called back in a whisper.

"You aggrivated me just to see that I was living?" He got a nod. "You know I am!! What the hell do you want?"

"Okay, you're right," the brunette continued as the woman in front rattled off the day's annoucements. "I just wanted to inflict pain on and annoy the hell out of you."

"Why?" the blonde hissed through his teeth.

"Oh, I dunno... Maybe-- sitting in the lap of _two_ different people?"

"What?? Oh that's nothing. Don't worry about it." The whiskered boy lowered his head again. He didn't really care all that much about having a relationship anyway. Sasuke was just lucky that he liked his stoic ass. Why? He didn't know, but he probably wouldn't have liked him if he wasn't his friend to begin with. Whether he was offened by something so trivial, Naruto didn't really care. He'd get over it sooner or later.

Sasuke, however, took the casualness of his tone _very _offensively. "Don't worry about it? What the hell... Are you slow, Naruto?"

"God... Uchiha, you've done me enough damage today, man. Just... get over it and let me go to sleep. This is my last chace before PE." Naruto dropped his head on his arms and turned away from him again. "Drop the subject. Something like that shouldn't offend you." He ended that note with a yawn.

Sasuke felt his eye twitch. He was going to protest, but Naruto had suddenly looked up with a scowl in place.

"Uchiha... I have plenty reason to cut this off right now. Okay?"

Sasuke just stared in shock. Why'd he have to get so close?

Ignoring the puzzled on on Sasuke's face, Naruto continued. "That was nothing, I _promise._ You're over-protectiveness is going to get you _really _disappointed with the things I do. Got that?"

He nodded this time around.

"Great. Now listen, just like I can't be happy-go-lucky all the time; you can't act like this all the time. Try to understand that?"

"Naruto...?" the teacher from up front called.

"Yes ma'am?" the blonde called back, switching out his grimace for a smile.

"Mind standing to share?" she challenged.

"Do you want me to?" he asked, never wavering.

"Uhm... sure," Kurenai replied, just a little taken back b his cooperation.

"All right then." the blonde freshman stood up and cleared his throat. "Homeroom-- since I don't really know many of you-- I was talking, yes. All I did was tell the esteemed Uchiha to leave me alone. I also gave him a reason. I tried to get him to stop a couple times without talking, but that wasn't enough. So I told him off. That's it." He sat back down and lay his head to rest once more.

"Sasuke?"

"Y-yes, ma'am?" he stuttered back.

"Are you really bothering him?"

_Oh dammit... _Sasuke thought in dismay _I can't lie to a teacher. It's fruity yeah, but they can always tell... Shit! _

A quick thought crossed his mind. _I'll just be vague. _

"Sort of," he said. "I'm not Uzumaki, so I don't know how he feels on certain matters."

"Do you want to tell me what it is that you thought was important enough for you to interrupt my class?"

"I was just asking him about something that happened at lunch, miss."

"What happened at lunch, exactly?"

"We only spoke briefly on a project that we were assigned together. _One_ of us never got an answer to a question." The way he'd said one, you'd think he was talking about himself. Just as he'd hoped, she took it.

"Alright. Just, shut the hell up until I'm finished here." What was it with the teachers in that school? They were all so vulgar. And a lot of them had very bad habits.

"Yes, ma'am." It seemed like an eternity rather than five minutes for the woman to read off the rest of the day's announcements. When at last she'd finished, she reminded the class of the trip then said they could converse amongst themselves. Sasuke turned to Naruto again. This time, he wouldn't be cut short or have any other interference that would hinder his recieving an expanation.

"I'm not explaining," Naruto said flatly after being asked. "I have no reason to. Just like you can't explain why you assaulted me earlier today. And just like you won't tell me what's wrong with me. And just like you won't tell me why that damned car is so highly regarded."

"You mean like you won't tell me who that guy was? And why you care at all? And who you're running errands for?"

Naruto scowled and Sasuke scowled right back.

"I figure I don't need to with important things like that you're keeping a huge secret!" the blonde shouted.

"If those are important, that makes your's need-to-knows! Mine shouldn't matter!" Sasuke shouted back.

As they continued back and forth, a small crowd of the rest of the students started to gather around them. No one knew what they were ranting about, but it seemed to be entertaining to them.

"You always give us shit like your life is full of despair... Drop the act Uzumaki!!" Sasuke yelled, pointing at the boy across from him.

"What about you?!" Naruto shrieked, mirroring Sasuke's pointing posture. "You talk like your life is a living hell!! At least people in your home don't hate you!!"

"How is that a contradiction?!" Sasuke argued, no sign of stopping his line of thought in sight. Naruto gasped when he realized what he was going to say. Before he could speak out for him to stop though, the youngest Uchiha had started up again. "No one is in your house to hate you! You've been living alone for the longest!"

With that last statement, Naruto deflated. Sasuke caught the sudden change in his attitude and wondered why the comment had affected him _that_ much. Then he looked around. How he'd missed their classroom-sized portion of the student body surrounding them, he didn't know. How much he'd just screwed up, he knew that.

A feeling of unease settled in his stomach as he watched Naruto get up.

"Fucking asshole... And I still won't shout anything like that about you to the world..." The younger boy was chewing on his lip again, this time mercilessly drawing blood from the wound. He didn't even bother to wipe it away as it dribbled down his chin. "Guess that's my fault for trusting people again, huh?" His voice cracked a little, and he only let one red drop splash on the desk before he rushed out, nearly in tears over pain and betrayal.

Sure, they'd only just made up, but Sasuke should've known not to cross that line. Was Naruto running around talking about things like his brother? And his homosexuality? And his cutting? And his thoughts on suicide? No! Because of that, you'd think he'd be able to pick up on things that you just can't say and _not_ to say them.

Naruto was glad that he didn't tell him about Orochimaru. He was glad that he didn't tell him about his third job. And he was glad he was only "dating" him for a few hours. That would make ending it a lot easier on his part.

As he reached the front desk, he caught his breath a little. He signed himself out, quickly scribbling his name and the time on the clip-board. His reason was a bogus doctor's visit that he wasn't planning on taking. He rushed it so that the receptionist didn't see his state, and, immediately after he'd finished, Naruto ran out the doors and to the sidewalk. He stopped when he realized he was getting wet.

"Wonderful!!" he screamed as he opened his arms to the world. "Rain... Nice! Fan-_fucking-_tastic!!" He slapped his arms back to his sides and took off in one direction. He cut acrossed a few highways to get to his side of town. He reached as far as the first strip-bar before he realized that he didn't have his keys.

Naruto cried out in despair before whipping his phone out from his pocket again. He somberly ran down the phonebook until he reached "UT".

Itachi picked up on the second ring.

"Moshi moshi..."

"You were right: I can't fall for everyone that makes me feel better..."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

So, did you hate it as much as me? You should have. well... I'm workin on the next one. Ja!


	18. Truce

tried my damndest to get it up earlier, but the computer wouldn't let me. sorry... not much to say about this really..._

* * *

_

_Chapter: 18_

"Naruto? Aren't you in school?" the older Uchiha asked through the device.

"No!" the teen barked, easily switching out his woe for anger.

The man on the other line sounded a bit taken back. "Alright. What do you need?"

"Are you out yet?" Naruto asked impatiantly.

"Yes, why?"

"Go to the school and pick up my bag for me." His request sounded more like a demand. "I do stuff for you all the time. Just, go get it. I need my keys and shit... My bus pass is in there too."

"...Naruto. Think about what you just asked me to do."

He thought about it. "Okay...?"

"I can_not_ go to your school, hun."

"Why not?!"

"How about I pick you up instead??"

"Why not," he repeated.

"Where are you, Naruto?"

"The corner of one-fifty and Rhong," he said as he gave up on the attempt to force out an answer. It must have been obvious.

"I'm around the corner." There was a click, and the call ended. Sadly, Naruto lowered the phone from his ear. He didn't close it until he heard the operater's voice giving him directions on how to conduct a proper phone call.

"Why he can't go..." Naruto leaned against the outside wall of the bar while he thought to himself. Then it came to him. "Sasuke's in school, idiot. That's why he can't go." A sigh escaped him. "What's wrong with you, Uzumaki?"

"I'm betting on a lot if you're talking to yourself." Naruto was used to people coming up to him on the street, so he only turned around casually to speak to whoever had just addressed his rhetorical question. He didn't smile when he saw him.

"Please get it for me, Itachi?" he asked the man after he'd turned around completely to face him. "I just signed myself out. You don't have to go further than the door. Really."

"Get in the car," his company ordered. Naruto complied and stepped into the passenger seat, still soaking. "You look like a drenched cat," Itachi commented as he stepped in through his own door. He revved the engine and started the car in the opposite direction Naruto was headed.

When a few minutes passed and he started to recognize the scenery, Naruto perked up a bit. "You're going to get it for me?"

"It's no further than the front desk... right?"

"Yeah, yeah!! I promise they'll bring it down from Kurenai's room for you."

Itachi nodded as he coasted to a stop. "Then I'll get it for you. But, the first sign I get of Sasuke..." Naruto looked up after a long pause. His driver looked a bit distraught, gripping his steering wheel a little too tightly. So Naruto decided he'd be the one to break the silence.

With a decline of his head, he turned back to the window. "I'll leave with you, Tachi. You won't be alone this time."

The man sighed with a frown as he leaned back against his seat. He rolled his head to the side and groaned. "You're not coming with me, Naruto."

"Why not?!" the boy cried. "I don't have any family, or did you not notice? If you forgot, you could go ask your brother-- he just announced it to the world!!"

"Naruto..."

"And besides all that, I'm not doing anything here."

"Naruto..."

"My income sucks, and I live in the worst place imaginable."

"Naruto."

"And on top of that--"

"Naruto!!"

"Eh?" He stopped and gave his attention back to Itachi. "Sorry... What?"

"You aren't coming," he said rather plainly as he opened his door in front of the school. Before Naruto could protest, he raised a hand to silence him. "You're fifteen. You're not running away with me. I have enough trouble supporting myself."

"You know, for some reason I doubt that."

"Why?" the older Uchiha challenged.

"Your parents can't put a stop on your card."

"And what makes you think that?"

Naruto let a sly smile play across his face. "You told me you changed the name on that thing a while ago. They can't track you either because you never let them see the recipts or anything like that. You even have the account blocked to anyone but you."

"Okay, so you're right." Itachi put one leg out of the car and sighed again. "You're still not coming though."

"Tell me why not," Naruto growled in disapproval.

"You're not really the kind of person I could live with," he said bluntly. He ignored the look of pained surprise on Naruto's face as he got out and shut his door. At least it shut him up long enough to leave the car.

Itachi thought to himself grimly as he took the stairs to the door of the educational building. How many times had he said that he wasn't going to enter the damned place again? Then again, he said that he wasn't going to drag Sasuke in his horrible world either though. He could've bit his own tongue off as he pushed through the large doors, he was so mad. If only he'd been a bit more careful in those earlier days...

A high pitched voice drug him out of his thoughts when he approached the window to the front office though.

"Good afternoon!!" the round woman gushed. A look of confusion crossed her face as she focused a bit more. "You look strangely familiar..."

"Good afternoon," he replied, throwing in a smile to keep her from asking any questions. "Ah, I'm here to pick up a bag a friend left."

"Could you tell me whose class it's in then?" she asked, absolutely forgetting her previous befuddlement.

"I believe he said Kurenai. His name's Uzumaki."

"I'll call and ask," the woman behind the window said as he reached for the phone. She checked her list and punched in the extention for Naruto's homeroom. "Hello, Miss Kurenai's room, correct?... Yes... Mm-hm!! Someone is here to pick it up right now... Sure, I'll ask." She put the phone to her shoulder and turned back to the enigmatic man. "What's your name, sir?"

He debated on that a bit. Did they really need to know his name?

"We have to know before we hand something over to you." Well, that gets rid of that problem. Now, he just had to think of a name... Or, he could just be his cunning self like normal.

"Can I speak to them please?" he asked in the sweetest tone that his voice would allow. The receptionist blushed and handed over the reciever. "Hello?" Itachi called into the mouth-piece.

"Uhm... hi?" the boy on the other line said. "Listen, we can't give it to you unless we know who you are to the kid." He sounded a little rushed

"And who are you, exactly?"

"Representitive to the freshman class in the student council."

"Really?" Itachi asked so he didn't come off as just a freak that wanted to get something. "You know, I was too. All four years I represented."

"That's great. But really, who the hell are you?" he asked, rather annoyed.

"Isn't that a bit vulgar for the president? Bad business for the school."

"This is really annoying... Sir. I have things to do. Can you just give me a name please? Or... what your relation is to the guy?"

"If you just send someone down with Naru-chan's bag, then yes, I will." He waited a few seconds before he broke the pause with his converser. "Are you still there?"

"Y-yeah. I was just getting someone to bring it down."

Itachi smiled through the phone. "Were you really? Well, I guess I can leave you be now."

"Hold on a minute!" the voice shouted through the ear piece. "You still have to tell us who you are you know. You've got to be close to call him that."

Itachi looked down the hall and saw a boy with brown hair on his way with Naruto's orange backpack. Since he was so close, he figured he could end his little game as soon as the student got there.

"Well, I guess you could say I'm like his big brother."

"The kid's an orphan. And, I don't think he has any family."

"Still," Itachi said as he took the bag form the boy. He nodded as a signal for him to stop staring and leave. He took off in a sprint.

"Still what? Who the hell are you, really?"

"You're right," the long haired man said through the reciever. "I'm not his brother."

"Then who are you dammit?!"

"I'm your's, Sasuke." He laughed as he pictured his younger sibling gawking into the phone. He could see the other kid running into the room in his mind, just as he heard him through the device.

"I-Itachi?!" Sasuke shrieked through the line. "A-are you sure it was him??"

"Well, little brother, I'll be leaving now. Good day to you." He handed the phone back to the woman through the window, amused smile still in place. He could've sworn he heard Sasuke say that he was coming before it was put back on its cradle.

"That's who you are!!" she gushed in awe. "You're Itachi Uchiha!! You're the heir to the Uchiha enterprise, and you're the prodigy of this school!!"

"I thank you for the flattery, miss." He smiled and nodded to acknowledge his appreciation. "But, I have to go before my little brother shows up to kill me. Good day to you." He started out of the building at his normal pace, bag in hand. When he reached the edge of the steps, he saw a very annoyed and pissed blonde tapping his fingers against the window ledge.

"Took you long enough," he ground out through clenched teeth. He nearly had to shout since the window was up because it was still raining. "Did you forget that I want to get out of here? Oh, that's right!" He tapped himself lightly on the forehead. "You're not taking me!!"

"Yes I am."

"Huh?" He had to wait until Itachi was in his seat, gave him his bag, and started the car up again before he got an answer.

"Unfortunately, my brother was the one that was on the recieving end of the call to Kurenai's room."

"So?"

"So," he said as he shifted the car into gear, "I couldn't pass up saying something to him."

"You what?!" He made sure to look back at the school's doors before he lost the chance. Before they pulled off, he saw Sasuke rush out to the front stairs. The brunette stopped and stared in disbelief as he watched the car begin to pull away from the curb's edge.

"Tachi... what did you do that for?" Naruto whispered as he watched Sasuke's silhouette disappear behind them. "I made it a point for him not to know that we were in contact with each other, you know."

"Sorry, but I don't plan on seeing him for a long time, you know." The man didn't speak again until they'd reached a red light. "Do you need anything before we leave the country?"

"C-country?! Uchiha, are you nuts?!" Naruto pinched himself to make sure he was awake. It still hurt. "I'm not fleeing the country!!"

The driver smiled. "I was joking. But, we do have to stay low for a while if you plan on staying in this town. That means you have to clear out your place, get all your things, and be ready to forget all communication with everyone for at least two weeks."

"Two... two weeks, Tachi?"

"Be glad it isn't a month," he replied. "That's how long I had to stay in a hotel. You... I don't think they'll worry too much about you-- no offense."

"It's alright, I guess. But, after we get my stuff, I want to get my cat," Naruto argued as the light turned green again.

"Your cat? You have a cat?" Itachi asked, eyebrows raised in slight shock. "Since when?"

"Since Sasuke took it home for me," he admitted. "Can we get her?"

"I don't see why not. We're going to your place anyway."

Naruto shook his head slowly. "I wouldn't be asking if it was that easy, you know. She's at the Uchihas' place."

"You mean the mansion," Itachi dropped. His voice sounded tight for some reason.

"Yeah." Naruto looked on as Itachi shook his head and mumbled to himself. His lips moved too quickly for Naruto to follow, so he just sat back worried until the silence ended again.

"No. Absolutely not."

"Why?"

"There is no way to get in that place without them knowing."

"But, Tachi!! I doubt they'd care if their long lost son showed up for a surprise visit to get a cat!!"

Itachi shook his head again. "Hell no, Naruto."

"But Ta-chan--!"

"I said _no_ Ru." That shut him up. Naruto turned to the window and sulked in his idiocy, trying to ignore the pitter-patter of the rain. "That keeps you quiet? Want to tell me why?"

"You haven't called me that in over a year."

"And that matters because...?"

"No."

"Fine then. Be touchy. You're just going to tell me later," Itachi stated. He didn't get a response.

Another awkward silence passed through the atmosphere of the car.

"He looks a lot like you, now that I think about it," the blonde said after what seemed like four forevers to him.

"Who does?" the other asked as if he didn't know.

Naruto answered him regardless. "'Suke. He acts a lot like you too."

"How so?" Again he knew, but at least it was keeping Naruto's mind off of his soon-to-be left behind cat.

"You've got a lot of the same tendencies. You both try to act so badass, but you're both nice to me. Like idiots, you contradict yourselves all the time. You fidget the same way when you're nervous too."

"I fidget?"

Naruto nodded into his hand as he placed his cheek to rest there. "Yes you do. You both mess with your insane bangs when you don't feel comfortable. Either that or you pull on mine."

Itachi let a chuckle escape him. "Aren't you the observant one?" He reached over and ruffled Naruto's hair a few times to rejuvinate his normal personality. It worked.

Naruto smiled and sat properly in his seat. "Hey, can I ask you something?" He waited for an affirmative. "Do you know anything about him being drugged?"

"Sasuke you mean?"

"Yes, I mean him. Do you? It would make sense with the long gonig ring and all..."

"I do," the man sighed. "But, that's none of your business, I'm afraid. Once I tell him, you can find out that way."

"... You really think I'm going to talk to him any time soon?" the whiskered teen growled. "I can't believe he just announced to the entire homeroom that I'm orphaned."

"At least it gives you an excuse to be with me, right?"

Naruto laughed and punched his company in the arm lightly. "Self-centered bastard."

"Well, it keeps me alive," he replied, draping the same arm around the small teen's shoulders.

"And I'm glad for that." The one and only Uzumaki finally accepted the things that had happened and relaxed in the car. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on at the school as they approaced his home though.

((MEANWHILE))

Sasuke stared off into the distance, watching as several cars passed. He couldn't really be sure of what he'd seen since it was veiled by the mist of the downpour. He was sure of two things though. Whether those people in the car were who he thought they were, he didn't know. He did know that he heard Itachi through the school's communication line. And he knew that Naruto was with him. How they'd become aquinted, he hadn't the slightest clue. However, he knew that if he tracked one of them down, he could find the other.

Racing back into the building, still dripping wet from his stay in the rain, his shoes squeaked as they pushed him to the student council room. When he was inside, he felt relief crash over him: most of the council was there. They looked up from their work when they heard the door crash open. All they could do was stare when they saw Sasuke in the door, wet and scraggly from being outside. He ignored them and made a demand.

"Who know's his number?!"

"Whose?" Neji asked after a pause.

"Uzumaki's!!"

"... I don't even know it," Hinata said timidly. "Why? Is something wrong?" she asked with the usual pink tint in place on her cheeks.

"He just ran off with someone," Sasuke stated dryly. "So who knows his number?!"

"Did you check the records?" Neji suggested.

"Dammit... He isn't home!! Don't you think I would have _assumed_ to check there if he was?!"

"He has a cell phone?"

"Yes dammit!! I don't know the number either-- so who does?!"

"Uchiha, chill your ass. I have it, remember? He told us to stop at lunch?" Gaara sighed in annoyance as he pulled his phone from his back pocket. "Tell me why the hell you need to know where he is so badly first."

Sasuke's expression quickly went from angry to somber. He had two options. He could say that it was his fault and get clobbered by Neji, Hinata, and Gaara. Or, he could say that he was with his brother that was important. "It's my fault he left," he declared woefully.

Gaara just sent him a scowl that could freeze hell, thaw it out, and freeze it again. "I'm kicking your ass again today when I'm done," he stated. Sasuke didn't flinch, he was too worried. Gaara went down his phone's history and found the text that Naruto had sent him. He highlighted the number and hit the call button. He had to wait for it to ring a few times before he hung up.

"He didn't answer?!" Sasuke shouted.

"No. Calm down, I'll just call the other guy."

"How?" Sasuke demanded.

"He keeps his cell phone with him all the time." He ignored the look of sick shock on his classmate's face. "Yes, I know it's your brother. But, since he's in the car with him, you'll have to wait a few minutes. Maybe two."

"What makes you think it's him?"

"Trust me. I know it is."

"Well, tell me how the hell you know that number!!" Sasuke demanded. "I've been after that damn man for three years!!"

"We all work together," the redhead stated, moving over to the coffee machine to get himself a caffinated drink. "You didn't know that?"

"Uh... N-no." It seemed like the reality of the situation had finally sunken itself in Sasuke's mind. "Is that how he knew about him?"

"You mean about his many unethical business rings? Yes." He sipped his cup before placing it on the counter next to him. "You've been in the dark for a while, huh? Does it bother you?"

"N-no, but it does interest me." He took off his waterlouged jacket and placed it on a chair close by. "Mind telling me what you guys do?"

"Not a chance." Gaara waited, for the two minutes without a dread in his mind. After finishing off his drink, he pulled out his phone again. "Hyuuga, do me a favor and keep him quiet. He can't know I'm in cahoots with Sasuke."

"Oh, not a problem," Neji said, a coy smile playing across his lips. "Come on Sasuke-_kun_," he said, grabbing him under the arm and dragging him to the door of the room.

"Hey!! Wh-why can't I stay?!" the drenched freshman demanded.

"For one," Gaara said, "it's your fault, and you'll want to heckle your brother no doubt."

"And for another," Neji whispered, "I'm a bit bored."

"H-HEY!!" Sasuke shouted to the rest of the council. "A-anyone else want to take me out the room?! I'll _pay_ you."

"No one is going against Hyugga and Subakuno," Gaara declared. "Not even Kabuto."

"Why does he matter?!"

"Shh... I'm on the phone," Gaara said, waving them out of the room.

"I'm going to KILL you Subakuno!!" Sasuke shouted as Neji finally got him out and secured the door behind them. Luckily, the phone didn't pick that up.

"Moshi moshi..." Itachi called through the line.

"Uchiha, I have to ask you something," Gaara said through his device. "Naruto's missing, has he talked to you yet?"

"Uh, yeah. Normally... wouldn't he?"

And gaara threw in his acting bit. "R-really? Do you know where he is?!"

"Are you that worried?"

"Yes!! Put him on the phone if he's there." There was a shuffling noise as the phone was handed over from Itachi to the boy in his passenger seat.

"Y-yeah?" he asked through the phone.

"Naruto..."

"G-gaara??"

"What in the hell were you thinking?!" he shouted, losing his compsure to the other people in the room. "You idiot!! What made you think that you could run off like that?!"

"But Gaara... you weren't there." He could hear his voice change a bit through the cellular device. "You didn't hear what he said. He totally disregarded my privacy and told _every_one there that was orphaned."

"He... did?"

"Mm-hm..."

"Naruto," Gaara growled through the mouthpiece, "how does he know that?"

"I..." He sighed. "I told him, how else?"

"You told him," the insomniac repeated in disbelief. He shook his head to himself as he took that bit in. "I can't believe you sometimes."

"I'm sorry."

"So... where are you?"

"In a car... Oh, yeah, that's why I didn't answer the phone. I'm sitting on it."

"How'd you know it was me?"

Naruto sighed at his ignorance. "You're the only one with the number, duh."

"Alright. Where are you headed?"

"Honestly, I don't know."

Gaara let that sink in. "You... don't know?"

"I don't know," the blonde said again.

"You aren't just going home?" Gaara asked, a little panic stricken.

"Not this time. I... I think I'm leaving... You still there?" Naruto asked after it had been silent for a while.

"Yeah," Gaara replied, shaking his fiery readhair about his head. "Wh-whaddaya mean you're leaving?? Where are you going?"

"I don't know. Wherever Tachi's taking us."

"You're really _leaving_ leaving??"

"Well, I guess _you'll _still see me. But that's about it."

"Oh..."

"Well, I guess I'll talk to you later, Gaara. Bye." The call was disconnected before the youngest Subakuno had a chance to respond. He snapped his phone shut and shoved it in his pocket. Storming to the door, he wrenched it open, and Sasuke fell onto him. Apparently, Neji was trying to get in his pants again, but Sasuke was careful that time.

"Wh-what'd he say?" the brunette asked after seeing the look of absolute disgust in his piercing eyes.

"The hell is wrong with you?!" Gaara shouted, shoving Sasuke off of him. "Why the fuck would you say that?!"

"I didn't mean it," Sasuke droned out. "It slipped!! Really!!"

"I said I was kicking your ass again anyway," the redhead stated. He pushed Sasuke again, this time landing him in Neji's hold. The pale, pretty boy looked a bit shocked and looked around to assess the situation. Before he had a chance to say anything, however, Gaara had wound up and let fly. Both Neji and his distant cousin were knocked back by the blow.

"Jesus..." they both mumbeled out.

"I suggest you find him somehow, Uchiha." Gaara straightened up out of his fighting stance and motioned for the other two to do the same. "You might want to do it soon, too."

"Why?"

"He's about to disappear with Itachi," Gaara said, disregarding all ill-will between the three of them.

"Sasuke... what the hell could you say that made him run off?" Neji demanded from behind him.

"Well, if it made him run off," the Uchiha replied, "I don't think I should be repeating it. Do you?"

"Don't you think that just _maybe_ you should stop fighting and go find him?" someone said from behind him.

They looked passed the doorway and back into the council room. "Why does Kabuto even _care_?" Sasuke asked. He never got his first answer about the boy either.

"Gaara, you should be very intent on getting him back," the boy in glasses said. "_He's _gonna have a fit if he finds out that he ran off with Itachi without a mark, you know."

"... He still doesn't have one?" Gaara hissed. Kabuto shook his head. "Dammit!!" He whirled around and pointed his finger in Sasuke's face. Said boy just stared down at it.

"...Yes?"

"Uchiha... you're finding him. I don't care what it takes, but he can't disappear-- at least not yet."

"Why?" Sasuke asked, moving his gaze up to Gaara's eyes instead of his appendage.

"He's not marked. At _all_. If the hickey was still there, he might be okay." Sasuke perked his attention a bit. "But it's not. So--"

"Why would a hickey be suffice?" the brunette inquired. "And why does he need a 'marking' anyway?"

Gaara sighed. He wasn't going to get anywhere with the density of his classmate. "Okay. Listen. See this?" he asked, pointing to his forehead. Sasuke nodded. "That's a requirement for our job. You get one after you've been working there for five years. If you have one, you're free to go when you please."

"Why?"

"If you're gone too long, someone can go out and get you."

"That's weird."

"It's a weird job!!" Sasuke shut up. "Alright. I don't know what happened, but Naruto didn't get his... Do you?" he asked, turning to Kabuto.

He nodded. "I do. He was supposed to get it Sunday, but he left."

"Why didn't someone stop him?"

Kabuto shrugged. "He didn't care. You know he just wants to keep Naruto happy. So, when Itachi said not to give him one, he agreed."

"You know... I really don't like that guy..."

"Hey!!" Sasuke interupted. "Who is _he_?"

They just ignored him. "So," Kabuto continued, "what do you propose we do?"

"I think," Gaara replied, "we should just go to his house. If we're lucky, we'll catch him. I mean, they have to get his things, don't they?"

"But, they might just buy new stuff," the senior countered.

"A moot point... Well, let's just go there anyway."Kabuto just shrugged. Gaara eyed him with suspicion.

"I can't go with you," the oldest of them explained. "I feel too guilty to be in his search party. You shouldn't take Neji either. he really has no business--"

"What do you mean you feel too guilty?" Gaara demanded, grabbing Kabuto by his jacket's collar.

The senior huffed out a sigh before giving his answer. "It's kind of my fault he left. I should feel guilty, shouldn't I?"

"Elaborate..."

"I wasn't around when we called the kids for the poll, remember?"

"So?"

"I was talking to Miss Haruno."

"...That was you?!" Sasuke barked. "You're the one who started that thing in third period?!"

"Yes," the silver-haried boy sighed. "I'm sure that upset him and propelled him to provoke you, Uchiha."

"Why would you do something like that, Kabuto?" Gaara asked, clearly annoyed with his antics.

"No reason really. He was gettting a little too chummy with my uncle," he complained. "He gets away with so much taboo. You should see the way he talks to him. It disgusts me."

"Well, apparently he's allowed."

"Whatever. It's not like I have anything against him really. I just don't like things like that."

"Asshole," Gaara muttered as he finally released him. "Uchiha, let's go. We're leaving now if we're going to catch them."

"How do you plan on getting there?" Sasuke inquired. "I get driven here, I don't have a car with me."

"So? What makes you think I don't?" He started off towards the exit, expecting Sasuke to follow. He did.

"You do?"

"No. But, I have no problem taking my brother's ride." He fished a keyring out of his pocket and flaunted it. Twirling it around his finger, he said, "I made a copy of his key a year ago. I've got one to Temari's car too."

"You're a terrible person... Jacking your own brother's bike??"

"He can get a ride with his boyfriend."

"Hn..."

"It's better than the way you got your's, isn't it?"

Sasuke glared at him from under the security of his bangs. "What are you talking about?"

"I've been aquainted with your brother for a while, Uchiha." A knowing smile crossed his grimace. "I know what car he was driving before he left you guys."

Sasuke decided that silence was his best ally in the uncomfortable situation since pulling his hair just didn't quite cut it.

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	19. Let it out

well... it's mostly all out there now... uhm.. im a bit rushed lately sooo... i haven't edited this ooooor 18... sorry bout that. try to bear with my mistakes?? XP

* * *

_Chapter: 19_

Once they'd stopped in front of the dilapidated apartment building, Sasuke realized that the motorcycle _was _the best choice to take. The trip through traffic and alleys could have only been satisfied with the thiness of the bike-- even if he was forced to sit behind one of the two people that could thoroughly kick his ass.

"Alright, Uchiha," the redhead said, pulling up behind the black car parked parallel to the sidewalk. "Get off and get in there."

"Are you _not _coming?" Sasuke asked, a bit perplexed as he got off the bike and placed his helmet in its cradle on the seat. "He's just as much your friend as he is mine."

Gaara kept his head-gear in place, only raising the visor so his murderous eyes could be seen. "No. I don't really think he'd come out if I asked him to. I don't rank nearly as highly as you and your brother."

"R... really?"

"Really." Gaara slammed his visor back down and revved the throttle. "I'll see you back at school. Hope everything goes well with your family reunion."

"Wha--" The roar of the bike's engine drowned out his words. The sophomore rode off, back toward the school, as Sasuke watched from a distance. When he was positive that he wasn't coming back, he swore under his breath and turned to stare up at the big building.

Surveying the surrounding area, Sasuke was finally able to understand why Naruto could hate the place. He had to pop a cherry candy that he stole from Kankurou's bike in his mouth to drown out the smell around him. The streets were littered with dead rodents and various types of non-biodegradable trash. Getting closer to the door, he saw the lack of a lock into the building. On his way up, he noticed how the steps were rotting and could easily be broken down. When he reached the top floor, he stepped in a soiled diaper. After getting over his dry heaves, he pushed open the door to Naruto's apartment.

"Ru?" he called into the seemingly vacant space. There wasn't much in the small living space the first time he had seen it, but now, it looked deserted. The few things he had seen were packed away into corners or just not there. He walked around the living room that he wasn't permitted to bear witness to when he was shoved in the utility closet. He poked around at a few things in boxes.

"The hell do you want?"

Sasuke started at the icy voice behind him. He turned around and found Naruto, box in hand, standing at the begining of the hallway. Guilt settled in his stomach when he thought about it being his fault that he was leaving. Sasuke shook himself out of his depressing thoughts when he heard Naruto clear his throat.

"Honestly, I really don't know what to say to you," the brunette admitted.

"Then why waste your time coming?" the blonde demanded.

"To magically convince you _not_ to elope with my brother." Naruto gave him a look that said he was the very opposite of appeased. "Please... at least let me _try_ my hand at this?"

Naruto sighed and plastered an annoyed pout on his face. He placed his box on the floor and took a seat on it. After crossing his legs, he folded his hands and leaned on his entwined fists. "I'm one to be fair. Go ahead. I'll give you a chance to persuade me."

Sasuke sighed in worry as he collapsed against the wall. He sat in self-pity for a while before he actually looked at Naruto.

"Alright," he began. "You know I don't want you to leave."

"A _lot_ of people don't want me to leave," Naruto reasoned. "That's the kind of position my jobs will put a person in."

"But I _really _want you here," Sasuke tried.

"You're gonna need something stronger than that, Uchiha. You just told everyone that I'm orphaned. Last I checked, you didn't have permission to do that."

Sasuke sighed. He dropped his head between his knees and thought of a way to come out on top of things. "Okay," he said, picking his head up, "ask me something."

"Excuse me?"

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know if you agree to stay here with me."

Naruto hesitated before standing. "H... hold on a minute," he said before disappearing down the hall again. Sasuke sat there anxiously waiting for him to come back. Regardless of whether he was there, there was a chance that Naruto would leave anyway. Itachi did, afterall, leave in an instant. Who knew what he was able to convince other people to do? Gaara had said that his brother and he had ranked supreme on Naruto's friend scale. Maybe Itachi was higher than him...

After an agonizing two minutes, the blonde reamerged and sat on his box again. "Alright," he said, "what are the limits?"

"You don't have any," Sasuke breathed. "Just... take it easy on me? This _is_ a last resort since my negotiations only work in the corporate word."

Naruto puffed out his cheeks. "Fine. We'll start with this one: what's with the car?"

"It was Itachi's, duh."

"So?"

"Well, you see... That thing that Hinata said about the summer house? That's true. We went out to eat. However, when we came back, something happened."

"Alright. Elaborate on that."

Sasuke sighed at his memories before continuing. "This guy was there. I don't really remember him, but I know I saw him around our actual house before when I was younger. Like... seven maybe."

"...And??"

"And this guy... he said he needed to talk to him. I left the room so that they could, but I started to wonder what was going on when it was getting to be half an hour. When I went back to find them... they were gone."

Naruto gave him that suspicious look, so he explained further.

"The room was only accessable from one door, Ru. So... they shouldn't have gotten out without me knowing. Well... I went back in the room, saw no one was there, and I found a note. In short, it said that he left, and I was to keep his car."

"Oh?"

"It wasn't mine to begin with. We were just out on a joyride so I could get used to driving, really. I wasn't supposed to get any of my cars until I got my license. They were all supposed to stay tucked away in the garage at home. The Lexus was the last thing I got from Itachi before his fucker self left."

Naruto frowned. "That's why it's so highly regarded?"

"I won't let anyone else ride it."

"Why??"

"No one knows it was even his except for me and our parents. I came home one day, and it was customized so that it was mine. No one would ever guess that it used to be someone else's."

"Who did it?"

"I'm guessing it was him since our parents don't know anything about it."

Naruto nodded. "Well," he said, a very small smile visible on his lips, "I wasn't expecting that. I _really _didn't think you were going to tell me the truth about it."

"How do you know that's the truth?" Sasuke demanded.

"How else?"

"You asked Itachi before you asked me??" Sasuke ground out.

"No," the blonde replied, poking at the new wound on his lip. "IF I remember correctly, I asked several people, including you, several times. He's just the first one that gave me an answer." He suddenly seemed upset again. "Don't get pissy that I went out and found a cure for my ignorance _else_where, Uchiha."

"Alright... I'm sorry I didn't tell you the _first_ time you asked." He took a moment to swallow down his pride and ignore his need to be in control. "Im not even supposed to be asking questions."

"Oh, that's right. Let me think up another one." Naruto looked to the ceiling. Snapping his fingers he said, "I've got it. Why the hell do you think your parents hate you?"

"I never said they hated me," Sasuke explained. "I said they don't care. There is a difference."

"So what--"

"They just don't, okay?" Sasuke scowled at the floor below him before going on to expand on his reasoning. "When I told them Itachi left, they dropped everything to see what was up. They searched for about a month before they gave up hope. Our mother even went through a stage of depression. Our father made sure that he exhausted every resource we had before he threw in the towel."

Naruto blinked in awe. "And... why does that upset you??"

"Never in their lives would they to do that for me. You see how they just dumped his chores on me. I told you I never see them. Do you want to know why that is? It's because they're _still_ looking for his sorry ass."

"But--"

"I've been working my ass off just to keep up, but they really don't notice anything. I'm never getting out of his shadow-- and he's not even there to cast the fucking thing!! _That _is why I'm damn sure my parents don't care about me. No matter what I do, no matter what I say, it's just never enough."

"Sasuke--"

"I'm always hearing: Well, Itachi did that when he was this old. Your brother did better. You were always a little short of your aniki."

"Hey--"

"What the hell do you call that?!"

"Dammit Sasuke!!"

Said Uchiha broke out of his rant. He shook his head clear before addressing Naruto again. "Sorry... what?" he asked, dropping his head a little so that his blush would be covered by his bangs.

"I get it. Jesus... don't go emo on my ass yet." He sent a glare his way, and Sasuke stared at the floor.

"Sorry."

"Alright. I'm not done purging your intel. Ready for the next one?" He took Sasuke's groan as a yes. "Just one or the other: Did you start molesting me because you just felt like having a new way to get your hands on me, or did you really like me then?"

"The second one, dumbass."

"Hey! Don't start with the name calling..."

"Alright... sorry."

Naruto actually giggled. "Oh man! This is fun... It's like... you'll do whatever I want right now. Hm?"

Sasuke didn't respond.

"So... this here's a big one."

Sasuke perked up. "Naruto, please don't ask me that?"

Naruto shook his blonde locks. "No way, Uchiha. Tell me: What the hell is wrong with me?"

The brunette sighed before groaning in utter dismay. "Naruto... why would you do that to me??" He wasn't really expecting an answer. Instead, Sasuke concentrated on how he was going to tell him that he was certifiably out of his mind. He'd tried it earlier and lucked out. What was he going to say now?

"You're schizophrenic," he spit out desregarding all thought processes. It was like trying to hold back vomit and failing miserably.

That one hit Naruto like a ton of bricks. "Schi-zo...phre-nic..?"

Sasuke nodded grimly. "Yeah... that's the long and short of it. God... my ass is as good as kicked now. I told Neji _and_ your lustful third that I wouldn't tell you."

"Who?" Naruto asked more than warily.

"God... what was his name... Kityasha?? Yeah, that one." Sasuke shuddered. "I really don't like him. He's rough, vulgar, unethical... and he's after me." A chill went through him again. "He's gonna kill me for that one."

"H-how do you... You know about...? I really must be..."

"Yes dammit. You really are. I know about both of them. Kityasha explained it to Neji and me at the hospital."

"I'm a schizo..."

"Naruto... please accept it. Yes, you have schizophrenia. But you know what? It's not your fault."

"How would you know?" Naruto asked, still a little dazed by the shock of the news.

"He practiaclly told us," Sasuke said rather matter of factly. "Kityasha gets the anger and hate. Nikko gets the pain and depression." He thought for a moment. "And, going on the course of events that you call your life, I'd say Kityasha came around first, ne?"

Naruto gave him a weak thumbs up. "Good job..." He stared down at his feet for what seemed like an eternity before that caught up to him. He had schizophrenia. And people knew about it! Not only that, Sasuke knew _all_ about it. That would actually explain a few things, such as the incident in third period. Why his subconscience beings always told him it was okay to "pass-out." Why Kit was so intent on having him say yes to Sasuke. Why his friends in his mind didn't always have an answer for him... Why Itachi said he couldn't live with him before he agreed after his rendezvous with Sasuke over the phone.

He couldn't stop the sting of tears that attacked him after letting the effects of his disease sink in.

"Ru?" Sasuke called from across the room. "You alright?"

Naruto shook his head slowly from side to side. "Not at all." He stood up again, this time actually sending a tearful smile Sasuke's way. "I'll be right back." Sasuke watched him walk to the back of the apartment again.

When he was sure Naruto was gone, because he'd heard the bedroom door shut, Sasuke slammed his head against the wall behind him. He stayed that way, head tipped back, scowling at the ceiling. He tried to melt the paint off with his stare. No such success.

Naruto finally bounded around the corner and back into the living room. "Sasuke," he called, cheery exterior back in place.

"Hn?"

"Do you want to tie up some loose ends?"

"...Hn?"

Naruto beamed in self-pride. "I've convinced Tachi to talk to you if you can stomach to see him."

The relieved shock that Sasuke felt was clearly visible on his face when he lacked a verbal response.

"I'll take that as a yes," the blonde said before making a hand motion at the front door, no doubt beckoning someone into the room.

Sasuke looked on in awe as his brother, whom he hadn't seen in three years, walked over the threshold into the apartment. He looked bored as he twirled his keyring around his slender finger. A sigh wriggled out from under tongue when he settled himself against the door frame. Sasuke found it in him to speak.

"What the hell, Ru?"

The younger Uchiha blinked in shock when he realized that his older double had said the same thing.

Itachi just arched a brow. Turning to Naruto, he said, "So that's what happened in the car... He calls you Ru now too?"

Naruto just scowled at him. "Like I said. You haven't called me that in a year. Does him using it play in there somewhere? Of course it does."

"Hold on dammit!!" Sasuke shouted from his spot on the floor. The room's other two occupants looked his way. "If he was outside, then why did you bother going to the back?"

Naruto scowled at him too.

"You know, 'Suke, there's this really nifty device. It's called a cell phone." He brandished it from his pocket. "Your brother got if for me, so I figure I should use it to contact him every now and then." He put it away. "To explain for your mind that does not think in the most common of ways..."

"You're lucky I'm working on getting you back."

Naruto ignored him. "Tachi was waiting for me to get the last box downstairs in his car. You had to see it-- the black one?"

Sasuke felt sick. Gaara had stopped behind his car... with him in it.

"Anyway, you just happened to bust in when I was on my way out. I went in the back to call him."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh." Itachi rolled his eyes over to Naruto again. "Might we leave now? You have your answers, don't you?"

"Well... yeah, but don't you want to say something to him? I mean, with me gone, you have not no reason to be in his part of town anymore." When his comrade shrugged, Naruto thought up something to add to his previous statement. "Well, if you stil hate him that much, then I guess we can get go--"

"Hold on dammit!!" Itachi ordered, authority and malice clear in his voice. He pushed off of the wall and walked over to stand in front of the petite blonde. "What the hell is wrong with you? If I said I wasn't trying to hurt him when I was chained, what the hell would make you think I hate him?"

"You... don't?"

Itachi turned around when he heard Sasuke's question. In his sudden anger, he'd forgotten that his brother was in the room at all. He shot Naruto a look of betrayal, but the blonde just smiled back sweetly.

"Sorry," the whiskered boy said. "That's what you get for not telling me that you knew about Nikko and Kit."

Itachi's scowl contorted into a look of sick disgust. "You mean that sex driven fiend who's always after me when I see him?"

"... I _guess_??"

"Why the hell would I _want _to? I don't like talking about him." Itachi shook his head, swishing his ponytail from side to side. "He's crazy. He always wants me to have sex with him."

"Oooo... Sasuke, is it like that with you too?"

Sasuke nodded.

"See, Tachi?? Toldja you two look alike!" Naruto said, smile in place. "Kit's shallow. He probably just thinks you're sexy. Right?"

The two Uchihas nodded.

"Of course. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a box to get downstairs." The small teen bent over to pick up his forgotten parcel and placed it in Itachi's arms. "Be a dear and take it down for me?" Itachi groaned in annoyance, but he did as was asked of him anyway.

"You're still leaving?" Sasuke asked, standing once his brother had cleared the doorway.

"Of course. I can't stay." Naruto fixed his jacket to show his finality.

"Why not?" the other freshman asked, panic etched into his voice and face. Even after telling him what he wanted to know, Naruto was going to leave. That had to be the worst truth he'd been exposed to since Itachi left without a trace. Sure, they'd only been on good terms for a while, but it was nice to have someone around like Naruto was. They'd only spent the weekend together, but it had already felt like a lifetime that made up for lost years in their middle school days.

"My lease has already been cancelled."

Sudden relief crashed over Sasuke like he'd hit a wall at ninety-five and lived. He was happy, but still in pain. He was leaving afterall, even it wasn't out of anger. "That's it?"

"Yeah, that's it." Naruto smiled. "I came up short on the rent again, and it was the last straw for the land_lard_. He said I didn't have another chance. Besides, he's tired of hearing complaints, and having me gone will keep the other tenants quiet. He was just waiting for an excuse, I'm sure of it."

"So then... where are you going?"

"I'm staying with Tachi, duh."

"Why?"

Naruto sighed. "Do you really need to ask that? I have nowhere else to go unless I want to stay with my boss. And _THAT_ will never happen."

"Can I ask you something about that?"

The response he got should have just told him to back off. The leer sent his way said that Naruto didn't want the conversation to happen, but Sasuke, being his unbacking self, took it as an invitation to get under his skin.

"What do you all do?" he asked. "Gaara wouldn't tell me. I doubt my brother will. I haven't seen him in years, and the final closure I get is a statement that says he doesn't hate me and has to deal with Kityasha too."

"Sasuke... Maybe I'll take you by one day when it isn't busy." He let a smile play on his lips again. "It might be too much for your virgin eyes."

Sasuke just threw daggers at him with his piercing gaze.

"It hurts when you look at me like that," Naruto stated. "It's not like I'm gone forever."

Sasuke dropped his glare and switched it out for a mask of confusion. One emotion at a time was all he could handle. Henceforth why he'd been so cool through the entire thing. "What? I thought you were disappearing?"

"Well," the younger sighed, "I don't think I can after that. I _was_ planning on going away forever, and you'd never see me unless you followed your brother's profession... Which I highly doubt you would." He took a second to giggle to himself before continuing. "But, I've decided against it since you were willing to spill your guts just to increase the _slight_ chance that I would stay."

"R...really..?"

"Really. However... don't expect us to be on the best of terms. I'm absolutely infuriated that the thought of saying what you did would even cross your mind. Something like that shouldn't even be brought up in _civilized_ conversation."

"I'm sorry. Really. I don't know what happened." Sasuke looked away, tugging at the hair that rested near his chin. "It just came out. Okay? I wouldn't say something to make you chew your lip off on purpose..." He looked up, still messing with his onyx locks. "Speaking of which, is it still fucked up?"

"Very," Naruto dropped, pointing at the abused corner of his mouth. "Lovely, isn't it? All structual damage-- compliments of you." He closed his eyes and crossed his legs in front of him to bow medieval-court-style. "I thank you oh so much, too."

"Get up," Sasuke grumbled.

Naruto obliged, but he wished he hadn't. As he straightened out, he caught sight of Sasuke's smirk just before he charged across the room and pinned the smaller boy to the wall. Naruto tried to wiggle his way out, but his wrists were held too firmly in Sasuke's hands. He sighed in frustration before giving in to his captor's hold.

"Sasuke, why do insist on doing this on the wall?" the blonde asked. "I mean, ever get tired of throwing me onto every one you see?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Nope." His smirk melted and gave way to a frown soon after. "You said we aren't on good terms anymore, so I won't do anything. But, Ru..." He paused to push his forehead against Naruto's somewhat warmer one. "...Please let this blow over soon?"

"Why?" the blonde asked, blushing as the scent of Sasuke's nearly dissolved cherry candy wafting up through his nose.

"It hasn't even been a week that you've been able to stand seeing me," Sasuke explained. "Sadly, I've grown attatched to being able to pick at you without the threat of backlash."

"That's a really sad excuse, 'Suke..."

"Well I wasn't telling you the truth," the brunette scoffed. "What do I look like saying that I've actually fallen for you?"

Naruto just stared at him, mouth agape and ready to catch flies. "...What?" he finally asked, throat dry from gawking.

"I was hoping I only thought that," Sasuke mumbled, his tone peppered with embarrassment. "Well, it's out there now." He shook his head, rubbing it against Naruto's now sweaty brow. "Damn... Ah well."

A horn sounded from outside.

Sasuke sighed before releasing his prisoner and standing a safe distance away. "I guess I'll see you when you see fit then. Later."

He waited for Naruto to turn and leave, but he just stood there, idling for what looked like no reason. Nothing had happened, so he had no motive to just swindle away time the way he was. The horn from outside blared again, but he still didn't move to appease the noise.

Sasuke just looked on in wonder at how he refused to leave the room. "Are you okay?" he asked, finally deciding that walking out himself was a bad choice.

Naruto didn't skip a beat before lunging the short distance that separated him from Sasuke. After he'd tackled him to the floor, he squeezed him with all the might his body held without subconscious influence. Casting aside all face he held, he dropped his tears in the crook of Sasuke's shoulder, not caring what he looked like doing so.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was shocked. He stared up at the ceiling that he had previously been trying to melt and hoped to find an answer there. As before, he received no cooperation. Laying sprawled out on the floor, he wondered why he had Naruto on top of him crying again.

"You really suck, Sasuke," the blonde declared as if he'd heard his thoughts.

"I'm sorry?" Sasuke called back.

"I was really working on not liking you. I really thought I was over you when you said that in school. I thought I was going to be able to get through this move without having any regrets about you." He made an agitated noise from the back of is throat. "Why do you have to make things so difficult??"

"... Okay, you lost me." Sasuke reached around the smaller boy on top of him and lay them to rest on his back. When the tearful blue eyes met his, he asked, "You'll rewind that for me, won't you?"

Naruto nodded and wiped at his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "It's just what it sounds like," he said, smile in place. "I was just going to move away, undetected, and live out life with your brother. Easy as that." He sighed. "But, you just had to show up, didn't you?"

"Yes, actually. I did." He wasn't going to tell him that his life was at stake as well.

"See, that's the problem. It's just like Friday." The feminine boy sighed at the memory. "Just when I think you can't get any worse, you make it better."

"How did I possibly make this any better? I didn't do anything, and you're still leaving," Sasuke challenged. "I don't find that satisfying at all."

"But, Sasuke," he argued back, sitting up to straddle his friend rather than lay on top of him, "think about what you just said to me."

"... Alright, I thought about it. What's so...??" He shook his head to push his misunderstanding. "I don't get it."

"Aww come on... Are you really that dense? I thought you were smart??"

Sasuke was not amused. "Stop the antics please."

Naruto smiled down at his aggravated face. "No one's ever said that to me, Sasuke."

"So?? People say that to me all the time. It doesn't really mean all that much."

"Maybe not to you," the blonde said with a childish pout, "but it means a lot to me dattebayo..."

"What the hell was that??" Sasuke demanded, voice clear and blunt.

"What was what -tebayo?"

"Just..." Sasuke shook his head. "Nevermind it for now. Tell me: why was what I said so important to you?"

"Well... I guess you'd need to know my profession before it actually made any sense to you..."

Sasuke perked up from under him. "Then tell me what it is."

"You're a bit eager, don't you think?"

"Not at all. You've been dodging the question for a while now. Besides, you said so yourself: For it to make sense, I have to know."

"You have a point dattebayo... but can you take it??"

Sasuke grunted in his throat. "After finding out that you've been in touch with that man, finding out that he's still in this city, and actually seeing him without crying?" He scoffed. "I think I can take anything right about now."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto rebelled. "What if I said I often got mugged in the street from the time I hit nine dattebayo?"

"What?"

Naruto smiled at his win. "And what if I said that lead to me majoring in prostitution from age ten and up??"

Sasuke stared at him. It was his turn to adopt the beached-fish look. He moved his lips, but no sound came out as he did so. All the while, though, the news ran though his mind in a flurry while the horn outside was joined by another one.

"See? You're shell-shocked dattebayo..." Naruto mumbled a few things to himself before nodding on his decision. He pulled his hand back and ran it across Sasuke's face in one swift move. The raven-haired teen shook his head and blinked away the shock. "That's better."

"So... I've fallen for a slut?"

Naruto shook his head forcefully. "No!! Nu-uh!!" He stopped suddenly. "It's a really terrible statement but... sluts don't get paid." Sasuke was going fish-mode again, but Naruto slapped him again. "But I don't do that anymore!! If anything, I get stolen on the street."

"But you just said--"

"Age ten and up-- I know. I've been working in the same place, but I stopped doing that after my first year. The boss took a liking to me." He frowned. "He's the only person I get scheduled for anymore. I just work as a tease at the club."

"And a tease does what now?"

"It's like being a host or a hostess. You know, the people who get your hopes up, but you know you don't have a chance with them? That's what I do. I go out with people on dream dates. That's all."

"That's all?"

"Yes, that's all. Why?"

Sasuke furrowed his brow. "What's the deal on the marking thing? And why exactly don't you have one?"

Naruto blinked away his surprise slowly but surely. "Well now, there's a shocker. Who told you about that?"

"Subakuno."

"Oh… Well, yeah. I skipped out on my branding thank you. I'm going to see if I can just get your brother to do it for me back at his place."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"I decline the question."

"Lovely. Now, decline the stairs." Naruto got up, standing to offer a hand up to Sasuke.

"What? No closing statement on this prostitution thing??" the brunette asked, a bit perturbed that the subject could be treated with such nonchalance.

"How about I explain it on the way back to school?" the blonde suggested. "We'll send Gaara back, and we'll take Tachi's car."

"You want _me_ in the car with _him_?" Sasuke scoffed at the absurdity. "Yeah, that's really going to happen."

"Well why not?" Naruto asked, pulling on him to get him to the doorway. "I'm sure he won't bother you. And I can get Tachi to do anything. He went in the school right? I'm sure, if you wanted me to, I could get him to talk to you about why he left."

That last statement shed some light on a few things. "Fine," the older freshman agreed. "Let's go before I change my mind."

"You won't," Naruto declared as he dragged him down the stairs to the front of the building.

"What makes you so sure?"

Naruto smiled at him over his shoulder. "You love him, remember?"

Sasuke decided to shut up and pull on his hair again.

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workin on twenty my lovelies... really because i actually want to get Sasuke dragged into things like the preview says he will XP


	20. Car Ride

OMG!! I can't read fanfiction!! crap!! with parental controls, i can't even view my own story online to make sure it showed up right!! and I can't look at some review pages either!! oh Jesus... now I jahve to wait until like.. five.. ah well. I'll see how lucky I get tonight on THIS issue.

Yosh!! I wanted to get this up like... two days ago, but the computer wouldn't let me. Plus, I can't get into deviantART becfause of cookies and parental controls, so I'm not putting up 21 until I can. sorry XP

anyway... in the last one, there was a second horn. that's Gaara on his bike. he came back around to make sure Sasuke actually went inside, saw Itachi and said.. damn, it didn't work. lovely. i didn't feel like writing that out. anywho-- this is actually pretty short compared, you know? and the end is kind of badly written if you ask me. Not just spelling and stuff, but I mean word choice and all too. the whole... you got hot thing creeps me out. it's very... cliche XD

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__Chapter: 20_

Once he had coaxed Sasuke out of the building, Naruto had to convince him to stay in the company of his brother for a while until he returned his key. Amazingly, he had, and he returned less than two minutes later. The landlord was obviously happy to have him out for good-- even if it meant losing a small profit. Naruto, however, wasn't in such a pleasant mood when he finally stepped out of the building. As soon as he'd done so, he was forced to bare witness to a pitiful sight.

Gaara, unfortunately was still there. Not only was he there, but he was putting on his best performance by far to placate a very persistent Sasuke and a very annoyed Itachi. Naruto sighed in irritation at the scene before him. He figured a reunion would be nice when he made them stay put together. Apparently, he was wrong in thinking so.

The irate blonde marched his way to the small crowd gathered in front of what was once considered his home. One look at him had the trio quiet in an instant.

"One," Naruto said as he pointed at Itachi, "and Two," he added, moving his finger to Sasuke. "Get in the car please." As usual, he request sounded more like a demand when it came to an Uchiha. The two siblings were quick to oblige, though they stayed very distant from each other once inside. Itachi had taken his seat at the wheel, and Sasuke had slithered into the back on he same side to avoid his gaze as best he could.

Naruto shook his head in disapproval before turning to Gaara. The redhead was expecting him to be angry, but, to his surprise, he seemed somewhat satisfied.

"Gaara," the blonde said after averting his attention from the black Jaguar filled with abhorment.

"Yeah?" the older boy responded standing up, pulling from his lax position on the motorcycle. While Naruto had been reprimanding the two brothers, Gaara saw fit to relax against the bike. At the moment, though, it didn't seem so good an idea.

"You can head back to school now," Naruto said, smile intact.

Gaara didn't move. "Are you staying?" he asked.

"Here? No. In this city? Yes."

"Alright. I'll leave then." Gaara sat on Kankurou's bike and put the key in the ignition. He didn't jam the start pedal or twist the throttle though.

"Plan on going _soon_?" Naruto asked from the sidewalk.

Gaara shook his head, silently refusing to put on his helmet and depart. Naruto gave him the one look that said he was confused, so Gaara explained himself with a question.

"What's up with Uchiha?" he asked, his soul-burning eyes intent on receiving an answer.

Naruto looked over his shoulder to rest his gaze on the car parked behind him. "Which one?" he asked.

Gaara narrowed his eyes with his short patience. "The one I don't know two shits about."

Naruto winced. His games were over. He realized, the first time his redheaded friend had been serious with him, playing around just to drag out a conversation that didn't require it at all was taboo. Taboo with Gaara got you hurt, regardless of who you were.

The blonde chuckled nervously before trying to wipe away the goose bumps through his sleeve. "Not much," he said.

"Not much is a lot more than nothing," Gaara declared. He found the tiny, hidden box of candy and stole a piece from his brother's stash just as Sasuke had. The action told him that Gaara had time, and Naruto was explaining.

There was an intake of breath before Naruto decided on talking. He kicked at a cup that had rolled his way as means to buy time to pull his story together. Although, it wasn't much of a story; he planned on telling Gaara the truth. There was a trick to doing so and keeping his demonic friend level-headed though.

Gaara sighed in his inability to wait. "You know you're going to tell me anyway, right?"

Naruto made a noise that could have been suppressed laughter or haughty disgust. "Yeah, you're right. How to put it..."

"How about honestly?"

"Alright, fine. I agreed that I would be his boyfriend, but then this whole episode happened. That's it."

Gaara looked on for a while before finding his voice again. "You call that 'not much,' Naruto?" he asked as smoothly as his voice would allow.

"I know..." Naruto whipped out a pout and looked off in another direction. "I really don't think of it as much though. You know I look at relationships in almost the same way that I look at how I treat my friends. Although... I guess you don't make out with friends, do you??"

Gaara shook his head. "That's a bad habit you've got," he sighed. "You can't make two different things seem totally the same. That'll get you in trouble."

"I already get in trouble, you know." Naruto scoffed and dismissed the topic with a wave of the hand. "A little more isn't going to kill me."

"Yeah, sure." Gaara finally put his helmet on, but he kept the visor up to continue his conversation. "Promise me you won't let them get you?"

Naruto smiled at how his friend had chosen the perfect time to get his helmet. Realization set in all too easily when he figured out that he had to be blushing under his head gear.

"I promise I won't let the big, bad brothers fuck me," Naruto said much too bluntly for anyone's taste. He took a moment to relish in his glory as he saw the available skin around Gaara's eyes turn a red that must've matched his hair.

Naruto laughed. "Was that too straight forward?" he teased.

He heard something very akin to a growl pulsate from Gaara's thoat. "Must you toy with me?" he asked.

"Of course," Naruto lagged. "Why wouldn't I? It's so fun."

"You shouldn't stick your fingers in a tiger's cage," Gaara remarked tartly.

"Even if I have the key?"

"You can still get bit."

"I doubt a tiger will hurt his only way out." He smiled curtly at his friend's annoyance.

"You really enjoy this, don't you?"

"Indeed. See you later, Stripes."

Naruto saw Gaara roll his eyes just before he slammed his visor and jammed the pedal start. He revved the throttle and took off down the only road away from the building. He smiled watching his friend disappear over the horizon. Once he was sure he was gone, Naruto made his way back to the car with the siblings he'd abandoned. Again, bitterness cursed him.

One would think that, after so long, they'd be happy to see each other. Any normal person would be glad to be reunited with someone they'd treasured at some point in time. But these two made it seem as tough they'd been set in bad blood for ages. You'd have to know that them pulling on their hair was a sign of nervousness rather than boredom.

Naruto always thought himself resilient when it came to returning a certain mood or emotion to the atmosphere. However, trapped in a car with those two, he thought the process might not stand a chance. When everything but happiness was around you, you weren't going to feel too chipper.

He sighed in self-resentment as he ducked in the back seat next to his classmate. Regardless of whatever their problem was, he was going to get them to speak and settle things. He was, after all, going to be living with Itachi for a while if not always. That meant, if he wanted to see Sasuke other than at his house, his comrade would have to be welcomed.

He signaled for Itachi to start the car, and he did so.

Two minutes went by in silence save for the purr of the engine.

Naruto thought he'd go insane.

But, much to his own surprise, he didn't try to break the silence. Instead, he resolved for one of his company to be the noise that instantly filled the empty space like light invading the dark. He looked to Itachi and then to Sasuke, deciding on the latter of the two. With his single index finger, he poked the other teen in the ribs. The only response he got was a grunt and a wiggle that said to leave Sasuke alone before he'd folded his arms. Naruto frowned and poked him again, this time in the shoulder. Basically, he got the same reaction, except, this time, Sasuke turned his body more to the window. Naruto sighed and decided to use his last resort to thoroughly annoy the other backseat passenger.

He reached over and savagely pulled on his perfect, onyx locks.

A screech wrenched itself from Sasuke's throat as though it were a lament over some unforgivable sin. Naruto just smiled.

Sasuke, however, was not pleased. He turned around with control that only a martial artist could possess. Any other type of person would have belted an attacker like that immediately.

"What. The hell," Sasuke growled. His eye twitched visibly in his disgust and irritability. The fact that Naruto just giggled did not help in his soon to be rage.

"It was too quiet," the blonde stated after being stared at with the threat of death clear in his companion's eyes. "Besides, I don't like it when you two, of all people, are quiet."

"Why not?" Both Uchihas asked, although one sounded much more pissed than the other.

"It means you're plotting against someone," he said rather matter-of-factly. "That goes for me as well as anyone else. So, I suggest you speak. Otherwise, I'm forced to think that you're conspiring against my well being and want to crash the car to kill me."

The color in Sasuke's face drained to give way to his shock. Itachi, on the other hand, just chuckled behind the wheel.

"What's so amusing, Tachi?" Naruto asked, a hint of fake anger carried in his tone.

"As if I'd kill you or him." He shook his head slowly as he pressed forward in his Jaguar. "You're not so smart, are you?"

"I'm smart enough to meet your standards," Naruto retorted. "Last I checked, I wasn't in trouble with the club every time I turned the corner."

"That's because you don't want to be," Itachi said with a stifled yawn. "With that boy's help, you could get in just as much trouble as I do. But, I'm sure you wouldn't do that, would you?"

"What makes you so sure?" This time, true curiosity took over Naruto's octaves. That was an odd statement, and his confusion showed.

"Getting in trouble means getting chained up. If that happened to you, that prick would have access round the clock just like with me."

Naruto squirmed in his seat.

Sasuke took in the bits of conversation that he could comprehend, then asked his question. "Is he your boss?"

Itachi sent him a leer through the rear-view mirror that was far more superior to anything that Sasuke could have pulled off. "Is there really a reason that I should be telling you?" he asked, hatred distinct behind his voice. It was more so directed at himself rather than his brother in the backseat. Itachi swore that Sasuke was going to stay out of his terrible world, but there he was just dragging him in.

Naruto decided to step back into the conversation again, bringing Itachi back into reality with him. "Because he's your brother."

"Would you want that kid telling you something like that??" Itachi snapped back in clear reference to Konohamaru.

Naruto felt his stomach squirm a bit. So did Sasuke. He was starting to get lost in the communication with the little amount of knowledge he held on either of his two important people. Ironic, wasn't it?

"Let me rephrase it then," Naruto said after recovering from the mental image Itachi had planted. "Because you'll do whatever I want. And he's my boyfriend that should know."

A noise came from the front seat that could have been accepted as either disgust, haught, laughter, musing, or any mix of those. Naruto took it as a derogatory scoff.

"What?"

"You aren't serious," Itachi stated as if he was in control of Naruto's mind. "You can't be. There's no way something like that is possible."

"Well why not?" the blonde demanded.

"Naruto... Things just don't go that smoothly. You'd have to have gone through some serious events together to have fallen for him in so short a time." The older Uchiha shook his head still. "There's just no way that could have happened. I know I told you to make amends, but the way you've been portraying him before yesterday has been very contradictory to lover material. Besides, he can't be your type. You said so yourself. He's an icy bastard of a prick."

That was a heavy analysis, regardless of the subject. Now, Sasuke didn't feel so comfortable any more. That was a big deal since he'd felt out of place to begin with.

"Look at you and Gaara," Naruto said. There was another noise from up front, but he decided to let it go.

With a tired sigh, Naruto turned to his window. He watched the scenery for a while before he realized that they'd missed two ways to get back to the school. It caught him off guard, so Naruto didn't question it for a few more blocks.

Finally, he asked, "Where are we going?"

"First," Itachi said from his position, "we're getting you checked out by a doctor. You're going to need a note to go back to school or work at the hospital."

"But--"

"No, you can't just get your own. It won't work. I promise." Naruto decided to just drop it. He was usually right, so there was no point in arguing. "Then, we're going back to my place to drop your stuff off."

"You're going to take 'Suke to your house?" Naruto asked, unable to believe the statement.

And he was right in his disbelief. Itachi scoffed and said, "Hell no. I'm blindfolding him. He doesn't need to know where I live."

"Oh." Naruto looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Sasuke shift uneasily in his spot. He'd unfolded his arms to tug at his bangs again.

Naruto sighed. At the rate his nerves were eating him, Sasuke wasn't going to have hair left to gel in the morning. The blonde reached over and took Sasuke's hand that was resting on the seat with lack of purpose. Holding it in his, he laced their fingers together to keep his newly reacquired partner rooted to this world.

For that small gesture, Sasuke was grateful. He let out a sigh of breath he'd built up in fear that he'd let out too much in one exhale and be tossed out of the vehicle. He let go of his hair as he wrapped his fingers around Naruto's to show him that he wasn't a hallowed out zombie yet.

Itachi pretended not to see and pressed on. "Then, we'll head back across town."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

Itachi sighed miserably before flicking his eyes to the mirror again. "Do you still want your cat?"

"Really? I can bring her, Tachi??" Naruto asked. The sudden news was enough to make him forget the depressing atmosphere.

"Yeah. There is a question on how you plan on getting it though. You can't send him in, he's supposed to be in school. I'm not going, it'd be in the news in ten seconds flat. And you don't know the code to get passed the gate. Besides, security won't let you anywhere near the threshold."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto whined. "I do so know the pass-code!! Well... I know the one Sasuke uses anyway. Though, you are right about the security."

"You can get into the mansion?" both brothers asked in unison. It was funny how one comment could get them to do that when they were supposed to be full of distain toward each other.

Naruto smiled. "Of course I can. Just like I know the touch key to your car, I know the pass-code to the front gate."

"... So what is it?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto stuck out his bottom lip and peered down at their hands. "You don't have to squeeze me for an answer, really," he said at the sudden pressure he felt added to the hold.

"Sorry," Sasuke mumbled before loosening his grip.

"Anyway," Naruto continued, "it's someone's birthday. Which is... actually very surprising. When did you register that thing, 'Suke?"

"When I was old enough to sneak out of the gate." Naruto looked at him like he was stupid. "Kindergarten."

"Really??"

Sasuke nodded.

"Wow," Naruto fawned. "I could've sworn on anything that you were closer to Itachi back then. Really... Are all your passwords the same?"

"It's easier to remember one key phrase, yes. People in my family are known for that."

"That's dumb..." Naruto stared out through the window for a while again before addressing his company. "So, how far is this place, Tachi?"

"Naruto," Sasuke grumbled. "You didn't answer the question."

"Why? Do you want him to know all of your passwords too?" the blonde asked in innocence. "I mean, if you do, I'll shout it to the world. I was just going along with my privacy thing again."

Sasuke tended to forget about that. He often said things that he shouldn't.

Like Naruto being alone.

Sasuke felt that uneasy guilt settling in again and absentmindedly tightened his hold on Naruto's hand a second time. Said blonde felt the sudden vise-like strain and looked up at the brunette beside him. He looked like he was going to be sick, and Naruto was pretty sure the iced over sneer Itachi was sending him through the mirror didn't help the situation at all.

He sighed in self-contempt before piecing together a way to make things better between the two family members. However, he was Naruto, and that meant that he wasn't going to stay steadfast on the subject for too long. He wasn't made to pour his soul into tiresome tasks such as the one at hand. As it no doubt would, his mind started turning over some facts on its own. One thing stuck to him in the jumbled mess that was his grey matter though: He hadn't heard from Nikko or Kityasha in a long time.

When he realized it, Naruto sat up off of the window and leaned forward on the seat in front of him. Pressing his head into the seat, he concentrated on calling his faithful friends forth. He was used to having at least one of them around when he was uncomfortable, so their absence scared him a bit. After a good two minutes of effort, he gave up and decided to announce it.

"Oi, I've got a problem," he said to the empty silence that surrounded him Apparently, the other two weren't going to talk without his prompting.

"What is it?" Itachi inquired before his younger sibling could. Sasuke resolved to make up for the loss by running his thumb over the tanned hand entwined with his.

"I can't get Nikko or Kit," he droned out in despair.

"Is that bad??"

"Yes," Naruto almost hissed. "I've always been able to get in touch with Kit when I wasn't feeling so great. That's his job. Of course, if he were asleep, I'd settle for Nikko. But I can't get either one of them right now."

Sasuke sighed as he pulled their linked hands close to his face. In a tone more hushed than normal, he asked, "Am I not enough to satisfy your sentimentality?" Before Naruto could answer, Sasuke brushed his lips over the back of his small, tanned hand.

A sound detached itself from Naruto before he could swallow it back down. He didn't hear the noise, but he saw the satisfaction in his captor's smirk. His inability to control the sensuality that his boyfriend brought out of him made Naruto blush. He felt the color that had already risen to his cheeks heat up when Sasuke descended over him to cover his mouth with his own. Naruto decided to comply with the other's probing tongue, parting his lips only slightly to accommodate him.

Just when he was starting to like it though, he heard a terrible cry of approval from somewhere close by. But the car was moving, so it couldn't be from outside. He pushed Sasuke off with sudden, sickening realization and curled into his corner, pulling his hand free of Sasuke's grasp and folding it in his lap with his right one. He ignored Itachi's snicker and Sasuke's bewilderment. Instead, Naruto focused on the terrible rejoicing in his mind.

_Oh Kid!!_ Kityasha seemed to scream. Naruto thought the frequency was so high that anyone could hear it.

_**Kit,**_ Naruto responded, embarrassment clearly etched in his voice, _**why didn't you answer me when I **_wanted_** you around??**_

_Are you suggesting that _moi _ruined your performance?_

_**I'm saying it's a possibility.**_

_I'm saying I'm glad you finally did it. I thought you were _never_ going to do that on your own._

Naruto felt the blush crawling down his neck. _**Don't say things like that**_, he scolded.

_Like what? I am the reason you let him do that stuff, am I not?_

_**Do you mean that you didn't do it this time?**_Naruto asked in complete surprise.

_Sure enough! I had no influence on your sexual tendencies today. I've been napping with your other third, Kid._

_**Go back to sleep then,**_ Naruto ordered as he unbuttoned his jacket. The blue material of his uniform was just too hot with the blush spreading down across his chest.

_Roger._

Naruto was sure he was gone when he didn't hear anything more than the buzz of his own synapses rather than the small snickers of his subconscious being. He unraveled himself from his corner and let out a whoosh of air. In his discussion, he forgot that he had a previous engagement with Sasuke. He turned back to his brunette with a look of shear torment on his face. Once he took in the clear indifference on Sasuke's features, he opted to apologize.

"Sasuke," he called across the seat.

"Hn?" the brunette called back.

"Sorry I freaked," the blonde said after Sasuke gave him his attention. He dropped his jacket to the floor and pulled his shirt from its tucked-in position since his blush was still creeping down his torso. "I didn't mean it. Really."

"Naruto... are you okay?" Sasuke asked, finally turning to look at him.

"Just very, very hot," the smaller teen replied, tugging on his shirt collar. He sighed in exasperation and deflated behind his seatbelt. "Oh man..."

Sasuke just gave him one of his trademarked smirks. "Did Kityasha say something?"

"Yes," Naruto admitted, only turning his head from his slouched position. "He said he didn't do it this time."

"Meaning what?" Sasuke asked, triumphant mask still in place.

"Meaning he didn't cover for me in _that_ department in this specific situation."

"So you got hot?"

"Isn't that what I said?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"That's not what I meant," Sasuke declared mockingly as he inched forward again. Naruto wanted to move as he found himself being closed in on, but his body said otherwise. And he had to obey.

When Sasuke's lips fell on his again, Naruto felt compelled to push him off, but he just couldn't do it. Even if it did feel like little fireworks were bursting under the skin of his neck where Sasuke laid one of his hands, Naruto wouldn't let go of his boyfriend no matter what. He felt jitters throughout his body as his fingers tangled themselves in the midnight locks he so viciously pulled earlier. Ironically enough, he found himself doing just that again after Sasuke mercilessly dipped his tongue passed the blonde's slightly quivering lips. Naruto tightened his grip in Sasuke's hair as the brunette explored the inside of his mouth again that day.

In total disregard to what his brother might think about the situation, Sasuke ran his hand down from Naruto's neck and over his chest. The blonde took in a breath sharply through his nose when the pale fingers passed over his nipple. Sasuke smirked softly against Naruto's mouth as he stopped to tease at the hard, raised, bit of flesh through his thing shirt. He felt his partner shiver against his touch.

Naruto sighed breathlessly when Sasuke caught his bottom lip between his teeth, careful not to abuse the sore in the corner. He moved his hands from Sasuke's hair and dropped them to his shoulders, pulling his martial artist as close against his body as he could. Naruto was able to feel his pulse beating in all of designated points.

It was nice. It was pleasing. It was hot. And it felt good.

Too good. A wimper managed to wiggle its way out through Naruto's already loosened lips the moment they were abandoned.

"See?" Sasuke asked, brushing he back of his fingers across Naruto's flushed cheek.

Naruto shook his head. He still wasn't comprehending things with the haze in his mind.

"You got hot, Ru."

When he clearly marked the ego-boost in Sasuke's eyes, the noise of the air whooshing from outside, and the sudden softness of the seat as he dropped back down from cloud nine, Naruto gasped.

They were driving. In Itachi's car. With Itachi in it. And whoever else wanted to look hard enough through the tinted windows.

Naruto made a move to sit up in his spot and keep quiet the rest of the ride, but his pants wouldn't let him do that. He all but screamed as his blush overtook him again when he finally got to the proper sitting position. Kityasha should have, like any other normal day, knocked out the erection for him. Naruto bit into his full bottom lip when the thought occurred to him that he couldn't do it in that one instance.

That one truth came from the simple fact that his sleeping comrade had nothing to do with it. Naruto was stuck with the burden because it was actually his own sexuality that aroused him, not the thought that he could call on Kit's help in the job. Instead, it was his own hunger to satisfy something he'd never felt.

In the beginning, his job with Orochimaru had called for much more than what had happened, but he never liked it. It never got into his mind and made him want to never let go. He'd never felt passion heat his blood and cloud his thoughts. He never felt woozy after just one kiss. He never felt the fire that could be brought on from one sensual touch.

He'd never felt desire behind those closed doors.

Naruto felt his blush deepen by at least ten more shades. Neither Itachi nor Gaara could have ever hoped to affect him in that way during his early days at Club Akatsuki. The thought that Sasuke could get him to do what he did scared him a bit. After all, who knew their limits when they'd never been fully explored before?

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duuuuuude... I want to write _smut _but it's still a little too early in this thing for that. gawwwwd... anywho... they are together now for those that don't recognize that fact. they were in the last one too-- at the VERY end.

right right. the thing about Itachi or Gaara not being able to do whatever... go back and read 15-- the one where he first talks to Itachi in this thing. it says he fell for someone who made him feel better twice. if you didn't catch that-- it was Itachi and Gaara!! go check if you don't believe me.

Kit's weird. no other words for him.


	21. Diagnosis

mmm kay... first things first... to ANYONE who replied to a reply i sent on a review and did bot get another response... send it to my e-mail because... something happened ::couh:: hacker friend ::cough:: and i didn't get e-mail for like... three weeks or something. XP Okay... that's outta the way... here ya go.

HOW he got in and out.. I don't know... Brooklyn will cross that bridge when she gets there. as for what's wrong with him, I'll tell ya in the next one... which is halfway done anyway. ok... uhm.. I think that's it.

questions? Ask them.

* * *

After one of the most awkward rides of his life, Naruto was able to scramble out of Itachi's car. When he was outside again, he felt normal. His embarrassing blush and erection were gone-- along with his burning need to do that again. Which was great, because Itachi had looked disgusted about the entire thing. Naruto raced around the front of the car on his way to the driver's door to apologize for their behavior in the backseat at the first sign he caught of the man.

Itachi, however, seemed to just brush the thing off and put it behind him. Naruto was glad for that. The sigh he expelled emphasized it.

"Ru," Sasuke called from the door behind his brother. Naruto looked passed the man in front of him to see what Sasuke wanted. He smiled when he saw his brunette. Sasuke had his left hand in his pocket and the right one extended out to him.

Naruto smiled up at Itachi with sorry eyes again before moving around him. He gave Sasuke his hand, and they walked into the small clinic together in front Itachi. He still refused to acknowledge the fact that they were dating. It didn't make sense, to him, for it to have happened to suddenly.

When they got inside, Itachi signed them up for a walk-in appointment before taking his seat. He sat on the far opposite wall, just about as far away from the new couple as he could have gotten.

Naruto sent him a half-hearted glare from across the room, but Itachi found fit to flip him off.

"Stop acting childish," Sasuke said when Naruto stuck his tongue out.

"But I am childish," the blonde whined, twisting his face up in a pout.

Sasuke couldn't help it when he swooped in on him for a quick kiss. He always thought that pout was just as adorable as Naruto's thinking face. Not only that, the episode in the car had him uncaring about who saw him. But, it did help that the place was empty though.

"Calm down, 'Suke," Naruto said when he was released. "Mind _not_ getting my blood pressure up for the rest of the day?"

"But it's so fun," the older teen proclaimed. "Have you _ever_ seen yourself aroused?"

"Uhm... Nuuu..." Naruto pulled as far to the left as he could to get away from Sasuke.

"And you know, it's wonderful that I can do it so easily."

"What?" Naruto squeaked from his chair.

"Watch," Sasuke said, his rare mischievous smile on display. Naruto tried to prevent Sasuke from dropping on him again, but he was helpless. Sasuke easily pinned his arms down and placed his lips just below Naruto's earlobe.

"Come on Sasuke, don't," the blonde whined.

Sasuke just chuckled lightly from next to him. "But I haven't done anything yet," he explained.

"Yet?" Naruto asked. "Don't do anything at all please."

"You're no fun," Sasuke sighed, expelling air on Naruto's sensitive flesh.

"Sasuke, get off," Naruto ordered, pushing him by moving his shoulders a bit. He really didn't want a reaction right now. The clinic was not a good place. And the fact that Itachi had been eying them was not helping.

"Nope." Before Naruto could put more force behind his shove, he was shocked into stillness. Sasuke had latched onto his ear and was lapping at it mercilessly from between his teeth. Naruto wiggled in his chair when that tingle in his stomach made itself known again.

"Uchiha," he choked out, "indecent at the doctor's. Really. Stop."

Sasuke just chuckled again. "Still haven't done anything," he reasoned, moving down to brush his lips against Naruto's jaw.

"Dammit Sasuke," Naruto growled as a blush started to form on his cheeks. He wiggled again to try and free his arms. "Get off!!"

He was shocked when Sasuke complied. Actually, he hadn't. Itachi had come over and yanked his brother off of Naruto.

"Filthy animal," he sighed as he held Sasuke on his feet by his shirt collar. It was still damp from the rain earlier, so it was easier to hold onto. "Don't you know? Stop means stop, Little Brother."

"Feh," Sasuke scoffed.

"Last I checked, 'no' meant 'no'. To keep doing it makes it rape."

"So what?" Sasuke countered. They didn't notice Naruto's face distorted in pain behind them. "He's a prostitute, isn't he?"

There was no hesitation or restraint in Itachi's hand as he drew it hard across his brother's face in a harsh, back-handed sting.

When the younger Uchiha was looking at him again, awestricken, he said, "That's very prejudice... And rape is offensive to anyone. Would you like to see for yourself?"

Sasuke's eyes grew wide for a fraction of a second before he slipped on a mask of indifference. "You wouldn't humor me with that wish."

"You're such an ass!" Naruto exclaimed, tearing Sasuke from his holder's grasp. "And to think he actually likes you!!"

"Excuse me? I don't think my brother ever liked me like that."

"I was talking about Naruto you bastard!!" The blonde let go of Sasuke and sat in his chair, folding his arms and crossing his legs. He blew impatiently at the hair that refused to stay out of his eyes. Pony-tails were so much better.

"You are... Kit?" Itachi asked. "I'm guessing based on tendencies here. Nikko sits... daintily."

"Yes, I'm Kit. Still as sharp as ever, Sexy." He ignored the leer Itachi shot at him. "So, why the hell did you say something THIS time?"

"I said something?" Sasuke asked. He was still a bit dazed at how he'd been assaulted.

"Fuck man... You're hopeless, you know that?" Before progressing anymore, he stood and walked over to stand by Itachi. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a rubber band and worked at pulling the bright yellow hair back. He succeeded.

"You just said he isn't objective to rape because he _was_ a prostitute," he continued. "And, if I hadn't just tossed him into a fit, he'd of ran out of here bawling when he heard that."

"He didn't hear it?" Sasuke asked with a small hint of hope in his voice.

"No, he didn't. I, however, did. And, since you so easily told him about us, I can tell him how you toss about his secrets so flippantly now."

"...That's it?" Sasuke asked, hopeful again.

"No, Uchiha. I'm kicking you around a few times when we stay over again." The blonde cleared his throat and placed his hands in his pockets. "Which, we will be because I'm sure you have no objections to it-- going on what happened in the car I mean."

Sasuke just shut up and sat down in his chair. Not only had he managed to receive a beating from Gaara that day, but he'd also been promised another one from Kityasha. He'd verbally insulted Naruto twice, and his brother had smacked him across the face for what seemed like means to protect Naruto from harsh words. Had Naruto been around, he would've cried his eyes out and taken the first plane he could afford-- most likely because they were fighting, and it was "his fault."

"Apologize as soon as you see him," Kityasha ordered as he sat down on Sasuke's left. "If you don't, I'll tell him what you said." Before Sasuke could ask any questions, the body next to him went limp. The first moment it stirred, Sasuke said sorry and crossed his arms to contain himself. And that was it. He promised himself that he wasn't even going to speak until they were called back.

"What's he sorry for?" Naruto asked aloud. No one answered him, so he figured it just wasn't something he wasn't meant to know. When he sighed, he made to run his hand through his hair. It caught on something.

Pulling the rubber band out, Naruto asked, "Kit did it, huh?"

"How'd you know?" Itachi asked in his usual bored tone.

Naruto smiled. "It's cool really. I actually know what Kit's _supposed _to look like," he explained. "Since I made him up first, I had a whole hero idea drawn up."

"And...?"

"Kit's tall actually. And he's got nice, black hair that's long like this," he said, placing a hand to the middle of his thigh. "He faithfully keeps it in a pony-tail. So, naturally, he hates my build. I guess, with me knowing and all, he can make it comfortable when he's out now. That sounds right, doesn't it? Think I should start wearing boots just for him?"

"Zaa, ne?" Itachi shrugged. "Draw me a picture one day. Him and the other one."

"Oh... okay!! Sure."

Itachi stood watch over his brother until they were called back to see the doctor. They promptly made their way to the examination room.

Naruto sat on the table and wiggled a little making the paper crinkle. Once he was comfortable, he scanned the room and sighed. They finally got him. Someone got him into a doctor's office for an examination to see what was wrong with him. He could usually get out of it. This had to be a conspiracy.

"Tachi," he called to the man propping himself against the wall. "Did you talk to Gaara at all?"

"Earlier you mean?" Naruto nodded, and Itachi smiled. "Of course. I talk to him every time I see him you know. He's my source for what's going on in that school of yours."

"He put you up to this?"

"Zaa, ne?" the older Uchiha said with a shrug.

Naruto sighed through his nose. "So, what am I supposed to say?"

Itachi blinked trying to process the question. He gave up after a few seconds. "Excuse me??"

"What am I supposed to say?" the blonde repeated. "Do I have to give him all the government intel? Or what?"

Itachi pushed himself off of the wall and walked over to stand in front of Naruto. "When's the last time you've been to see a doctor?" he asked, leaning in to poke the tiny teen on his bruised forehead. The swelling was going down, so he didn't squeal.

"Urm..." Naruto pulled back from the abusing finger and thought on that. It was a long time, he knew that much. "... I'm not sure, but I know it was before Mom and Dad's murder."

Both Uchihas stared. "What?"

"Well, Social Services sent me for boosters and all that. I needed to get through school, but that's about it."

"And you were worried that they were going to tell you that you were dying?" Itachi scoffed. "Really, there's something wrong with your thought process, Ru."

"But I take care of myself!!"

"By giving yourself processed foods and instant sugar-water drinks?" he asked sardonically. "Sad to say, but I think not."

"You know that's not all I eat," Naruto spat.

"Really now? I've checked your fridge before. Half the stuff Iruka brings you goes spoiled because you'd rather eat that crap."

Naruto just grunted in place of a retort. He couldn't find one, so he just let the silence slip by. Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't like being stuck in a quiet room with those two people. He was sure that one of them didn't like him as much as he did the other. And the other, up until about forty minutes ago, didn't want him around. Never really a good situation with that mind-set.

"Hey," he called, gripping the edge of his seat between his legs. It was always better not to let people see your hands shake.

"'Suke?" Naruto called back, looking over Itachi's shoulder to see him.

"Remember why I even came along on this trip?" Sasuke asked. He was careful to be assertive but not threatening.

"Of course I do. Do you want me to do that now?" Naruto asked with a sigh.

"Last I checked, it should take some time to persuade him."

"Want to bet on that one?" the blonde ground out, irritation clearly marked in his voice.

Sasuke shrugged. "Why not?"

"Wonderful." Naruto pulled his attention back to the man standing in front of him. "Tachi," he asked, sweetness sickeningly laced in his voice, "will you do me a favor?"

"Why the tone?" the heavily coated man asked.

"I wasn't sure if you'd go for it, really."

"Go for what?"

Naruto sighed again, this time with a slight yawn hinted in it. "Go talk to your brother if you love him so much. You haven't seen him in ages, right? Reacquaint yourself."

"I saw him a few months ago."

"… You did?" both freshman asked.

"Honestly, Sasuke," Itachi scoffed. "Can you really say you didn't hear me?"

"Oh God…" Sasuke squeezed his chair tighter. "I wasn't hearing things? You were really snoring across the hall?"

"Not exactly, no." The older brother leaned on the examination table next to Naruto. "I stayed in your room, actually. If I went back to mine, I'm sure they would have noticed."

"And… why were you still in that house after disappearing?"

"I wasn't staying with that man. Where else was I going to go? If I was staying in a newly acquired living place, I'm sure our parents would have found out. Where better to go than the house?"

Sasuke scowled at the floor. He wasn't suffering from anxiety when he thought he was still hearing Itachi. His ass of a brother had actually been there. For almost three years at that. To think that he hadn't noticed the difference between hallucinations and actual snores infuriated Sasuke. Was he really that dense?

"It might just piss you off," Itachi said, interrupting his brother's thoughts, "but I was in your bed. Maybe that's why you thought you were going nuts; it had to have been loud. You used to wear earplugs, didn't you?"

"As much as that utterly perturbs my well being," Sasuke said, forcing back the shriek that was itching to be released, "you have to tell me: Where the hell did you go before I woke up?"

"To work," the elder said.

"And what? You just came back at night and crawled into my bed?"

"That's all there is to it."

"Two prostitutes have slept with me now..?" Sasuke sighed and deflated in his seat. He pinched the bridge of his nose and grunted to restrain himself. "When the doctor gets in here," he hissed, "you're standing right here, and I'm asking you questions."

"You might not want some answers you know."

"Just tell him, Tachi," Naruto said, a bit bored with how the conversation was going.

"Hmp." Itachi pushed off from the table and went to stand next to Sasuke when the door opened. "Naruto, if this messes him up, and he goes back to psychiatric help again, I'm coming after you."

"Yeah, okay." Naruto sighed again. "Because you weren't the reason he went the first time, right?"

The doctor frowned as he flipped through a few papers on his clipboard. "Excuse me," he said, stopping the conversation from going anywhere.

"Hm?"

"Uhm… It says he has schizophrenia. He's not..?"

"Nope," Sasuke offered. "That's my normal idiot."

"You're so nice," Naruto said sarcastically from his spot on the noisy paper. All conversation ended there as the doctor placed this stethoscope on Naruto and told him to breathe.

"So..?" Itachi lagged from next to Sasuke. "You wanted to talk to me so badly. What is it?"

"Do you know what the hell your snores did to me?" Sasuke asked, the malice he'd been hiding before clearly present in his voice.

"Sadly," Itachi admitted, "I do."

"You… do?" Sasuke asked, casting aside his previous anger. "How?"

With a groan, Itachi said, "You may be a heavy sleeper, but that doesn't mean that you don't talk. Don't you remember? You used to tell me everything."

"So?"

"I don't think you got used to _not_ telling me…" The older brother stopped to think for a moment. A thought struck him suddenly when the doctor told Naruto to take off his shirt. "By the way, Little Brother, where exactly are you cutting yourself? I couldn't find marks anywhere."

"I don't scar," Sasuke said bluntly.

"Bullshit." Sasuke frowned at his statement. "Even I scar somewhere. Where is it?"

"Tell me why you 'left' first."

"Two reasons. Which one do you want?"

"Ah… the one I'll like?" Sasuke suggested.

"One reason is because I didn't want to get you killed."

Sasuke cringed. "That's a bit… dramatic."

"Not really." Itachi shrugged. "Last I checked that damned man didn't have limits on his insanity."

"Oh… that's nice," Sasuke said rolling his eyes. "I always wanted a raving lunatic after my life. If I ever thank you for anything again, it'll be that."

"I told you that you weren't going to like some things," Itachi said, irritated at his brother's response. "Don't get pissy because I told you the truth."

"Hmp…" Sasuke crossed his arms and tapped his foot on the floor. "They're on my thigh," he said after a moment.

"You sleep in your boxers," Itachi reasoned. "I've seen your thighs."

Sasuke shook his head. "Not there. I don't think you can see them unless you're staring at my penis actually."

"Why's that?"

"I'm actually very smart," Sasuke commented before continuing. "I run it high and close to the groin."

"What the hell… No one sees that?" Itachi sounded like he didn't believe him. "There is such a thing as homosexuality. Last I checked you weren't foreign to the term. And you do shower at school, don't you?"

"Oh shut it."

"So," his older brother continued as though he hadn't heard him, "someone's bound to see them. There has to be someone who likes you like that in your gym period."

"I stay to our corner."

"_Our_ corner?" Itachi reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of gum. He slid a stick in his mouth and offered Sasuke a piece.

He took it.

"Yeah," he said after putting the chewy candy in his mouth. "Naruto's and mine. Really it's his, but, I've invaded his space because of that. He doesn't mind though."

"Are you sure about that?" Itachi mumbled. "It might have just been because you were so intent on kicking his ass."

Sasuke laughed. "Most likely." He blew a bubble and sighed before getting up.

"Where the hell are you going?!" Naruto cried from his table. "Don't leave me here!!"

"Relax," Sasuke ordered in more of a soothing voice than he'd been trying for. "I'm going outside. I'll be back. I can't get in his car you know."

Naruto frowned as the doctor continued to look him over. "What're you going outside for?"

"A filthy habit of mine." Sasuke left and shut the door behind him before any other questions were asked of him. He went outside, as he said he would, and sat against the clinic's wall. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the only cigarette he'd allow himself for the day. Crushed. So, he had half a cigarette. Still more than he should. He went in his other pocket and got his lighter.

Sasuke found himself content when he finally had the hazardous stick lit and in his mouth. A weightless sigh escaped him as he tilted his head to rest against the wall. He couldn't help but wonder: What the hell was Itachi into?

Sure, he worked as a male prostitute, but there had to be something else. Just being a whore didn't endanger your little brother, did it? Or was he still in the drug dealing business? That's what he was busted for so long ago. Drugs got people into deep shit, didn't it? Sasuke believed so.

After finishing it off, he smashed his cigarette against the sidewalk and stood back up. He wondered if Itachi really was still dealing with drugs. It would make sense. As far as Sasuke could remember, his brother had been pussyfooting around the subject since everyone found out about it. Then he left. Could it have been because his pimp wasn't happy? Or was he in debt?

Sasuke shook his head as he walked back through the clinic's doors. That was ridiculous. An Uchiha couldn't ever possibly be in debt. Too much money. The only way they could get more was to start a law firm. That wouldn't be too smart though considering how everyone he knew in his family had a huge tendency to run on lies.

Then what the hell could it have been that the guy wanted when he came after Itachi at the summer house?

"I need a what?!"

Sasuke let go of his thoughts and boosted his foot-dragging to a sprint. After hearing Naruto's shrill voice again, he remembered that he was supposed to be in the examination room with him. After pushing into the tiny room, he spotted Itachi, head in his hand, and the doctor clutching his clipboard to his chest. Naruto was nowhere to be found.

Sasuke took another sweep around the room just to make sure he hadn't miraculously missed the yellow spot. "Ru?" he called out after he couldn't find him. "Where the hell did you go now?"

"Sasuke!!" the blonde cried. He bounded out from under the examination table and latched onto him as tightly as he could.

"Dammit…" Sasuke rebalanced himself and turned his attention over to Itachi. "What the hell is his problem now?"

"Well," Itachi sighed, "you don't need to be a genius to know that he doesn't like a certain aspect of life."

"Okay…?"

Itachi sighed again, this time heavy and ragged. "Well, the doctor couldn't find anything wrong with him, so he asked where it hurt so bad. Naruto said, and believe me--I quote, 'It hurts in that spot on your belly under where big ladies get their first fat roll. It's like… right before the V, you know?'"

Sasuke looked bewildered. "He said that?"

"Let me finish," Itachi said with the slightest hint of desperation. "So, the doctor looked at it. He didn't see anything wrong, so he, uh… poked it." He cringed at the memory. "Well, you know where that area is, don't you?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Lovely. So, after being poked, Naruto freaked out and shoved the poor guy across the room. I had to catch him before he cracked his head on the wall. Anyway, I asked him why he went nuts. Lucky for us, he used that thing he calls a brain and said it hurt."

"So what?"

"We still don't know what's wrong with him, so he needs an examination."

"So what?" Sasuke asked again.

"It's pretty much an anal probing."

"Oh…" Sasuke looked down at the bundled mess in his arms and groaned. So, as anyone would have thought, it was an internal problem. Not only that, they needed to see what it was. Better yet, it was low enough that they were just going to go up his ass. Wonderful.

"See why I didn't want to go?" Naruto moaned. He shook his head and said, "I didn't want anything like this. It's not fair."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through Naruto's hair. "It won't hurt you, Ru. Besides, you do kind of need it done."

"But I don't want it done," the blonde whined.

"Come on, Ru," Sasuke reasoned. "I'll take you out later this week. How 'bout that?"

"Where?"

"Where ever you want," the brunette crooned, rolling his eyes again since Naruto couldn't see him.

"Will you go in with me?"

"…What?" Sasuke stopped petting him and looked down. Naruto had lifted his face, finally, and was staring up at him. His eyes looked like they were full of despair. Sasuke decided, much against his better judgment, that he shouldn't turn him down in the one situation. "Fine."

"Really? Thanks so much 'Suke!!" Naruto squeezed his boyfriend again and buried his nose in his still-damp shirt. He finally let go of Sasuke and turned around, only to have himself taken hold of. Sasuke had wrapped his arms around the tiny boy's neck in irritation; it showed. He was holding him tighter than he needed to.

"Okay," Naruto said to the doctor, "I'll do it. Tell me, when do I have to come back?"

"Oh, uh…" The doctor looked at his clipboard. In the drama he'd forgotten what he was supposed to be doing. "Right, right. You can either come back in a week, or you can just do it now."

"Oh... really?" Naruto asked, nervousness traceable in his voice. "Well, I don't know about all that."

"Just do it now and get it over with dobe," Sasuke grunted from behind him.

"You're so mean, Sasuke..."

"No-- I have to be back to school before it's over. I'm president, remember?"

Naruto made a noise that sounded like a mix between a gurgle and a groan. "Must you be so practical?"

"Meaning?"

"You lack all poetic intimacy in your words." Naruto went into his scholar mode. "You could have at least come up with some cliché instead of saying you needed to get back. You could've said something along the lines of getting through the pain right away so I could forget it sooner. Or, you could've said so we could get back and ditch your brother so you could do whatever without me getting all shy and retarded."

"Tch… told you yesterday that being poetic is hard for me."

"But Sasuke--"

"E-excuse me," the doctor interrupted. The couple turned their attention over to him and stared. Suddenly, he didn't feel so comfortable. "I have to know," he pressed anyway, "if you're doing it today or not."

"That's right…" Naruto huffed out another sigh and wiggled out of Sasuke's hold. He walked up to the doctor and pointed to the sore on his mouth. The man in the white coat just looked confused.

"If you can fix it," the freshman explained, "I'll do it today."

"Ru, that isn't fair," Sasuke said from behind him. "You're going to make him pay for anxiety pills too?"

"What? No way!!" Naruto whined with a hurt look. "I just want him to clean it out for me. I totally destroyed it at school. I'm sure some of my disgusting saliva got in. That's bad for you, isn't it? It's almost like blood poisoning?"

The doctor nodded. "The same thing could happen if you bite your nails too much."

"See!! Once I run out of lip, I'll start doing that." He gave his attention back to the doctor. "So, will you fix that? Just clean it up really quickly?"

"If someone's willing to pay the fee for that and the examination, then yes, I will."

"Tachi?" the blonde called out, hope clearly marked in his voice.

"Hm?" the older Uchiha called back boredly.

"Don't 'hm'!" Naruto ordered. "Will you?"

"I guess. I don't see why not." Itachi sighed and walked passed the room's other occupants. "I'll go tell the secretary," he said before going out the door. The doctor followed him but went in the opposite direction.

"Hey, 'Suke," Naruto whined once Itachi was out of earshot.

"Huh?" Sasuke took possession of him again and sat in his previous chair, pulling the tiny blonde onto his lap.

"Is there a reason that Tachi is so much more well behaved than you?" he asked, snuggling into Sasuke's chest.

"Can you really say that?" the brunette asked.

"Of course I can." Naruto nodded to show that he meant it. "You always have to put up a fight before you do something for me. He needs no prompting."

"Oh… this is about being your whipped little bitch then, huh?" He shifted a bit so that he was almost cradling the blonde like a baby. "Last time I thought about it, you were the tiny one, ne?"

"Sasuke," Naruto whined, forcing down the blush that was creeping to his cheeks.

"Hm??"

"Come on… I'm not a child. Don't treat me like an infant."

"Who said I was?" Sasuke teased. "I just want to hold you, love. Can't I?" Burying his face into the golden locks below him, he sighed. "Your hair smells wonderful, you know that?"

"What are you talking about?" Naruto pouted. "It smells like the rest of me."

Sasuke shook his head, ruffling the yellow mess under him. "You're wrong. The rest of you smells like cinnamon."

Naruto sighed. "And you smell like smoke."

"Really?" Sasuke asked, frowning hard into Naruto's hair. He felt him nod. "Sorry. I don't mean to."

"It's my fault?"

"What makes you say that?" the brunette inquired, trying to push away his shock.

"It would make sense. I mean… I have to be causing some kind of stress on you." Naruto wiggled a bit in his hold. "It's in your car too. Just a yes or no. Is it me?"

Sasuke grunted and squeezed the blonde closer to him. After letting him go, he took hold of the tanned hand and pressed his lips into the palm. He closed Naruto's fingers around it and sighed. "Don't ask me things like that. You wouldn't like either answer I gave, would you?"

"Explain?"

"If I said yes, you'd cry. If I said no, you'd say I'm lying."

"You've got me figured out, huh?"

"Almost." Sasuke smiled and sat Naruto back up properly on his lap. "Better?"

"Very."

"So… what do you think is wrong with you?"

"Uhm… I think I might be suffering from some kind of internal hemorrhage. It would explain finally getting Nikko and my terrible growth. You can't blame everything on hormones, right?"

Sasuke groaned a bit before piecing together the junk he'd heard. "Heavy deduction skills, Ru."

"Yep. That's what happens when you live like I do. You hit the books when you have time so you can get a better life some time soon."

"Wow… I'm shocked."

Naruto poked him. He was careful not to hiss; his cheek still hurt from being slapped.

"That's mean, 'Suke."

"Well, I'm a mean guy, remember?"

"I don't need to be reminded if that's what you mean." Before Sasuke could provide another taunt, Itachi and the doctor returned. Naruto retreated to his spot on the examination table and waited to hear what the doctor said.

"Well," he began, "are you ready?"

Naruto sighed. "As I'll ever be." He ignored the dual remark from the brothers about his cliché. "So...?"

"Oh, right." The doctor put down his clipboard and slipped on a pair of glasses from his pocket. He also took out a piece of paper. "I need you and a legal guardian to sign this so that I can perform the examination and, possibly, an operation."

Naruto took up his old Konoha habit. His stare lasted about twenty seconds before he shook his head out of his stupor. "You're serious on that?"

"Very."

"Well!!" Naruto hopped down from the table and put his hands together. "That's the end of that. Thanks for the help doc, but--"

"It's a release form then?" Itachi asked, finally joining the conversation again. After the doctor nodded, he said, "Give it here."

"Tachi… What are you doing?" Naruto asked, quietly disguising his hysteria.

"I'm signing your release form as your guardian. You live with me, don't you?" He finished and handed it over to him. "Sign your name, hun."

Naruto grunted and took the paper. After looking at it he tried to say that it wasn't Itachi's name, which it wasn't, but Itachi stopped him. Instead of providing an explanation, he brandished his credit card. Naruto understood and signed his name. He handed the paper back to the doctor and felt his stomach squirm. He was having second thoughts all the sudden.

"You know what?" Naruto stammered out. "I don't think I want to do this anymore. Really."

"Oh hell… you're doing it, Ru."

"But, Sasuke--!!"

"Shut it!! You said you'd go through with it if he cleaned out your lip, and he did."

Naruto really didn't want to lay like that. He wasn't a fan of having himself being exposed _and_ unable to see it. Besides that, a camera was going up there.

"Ready?" the doctor asked, careful not to scare Naruto into bounding from the room.

"Sasuke… I'll kill you."

Sasuke looked at the blonde who'd just uttered the phrase like he was crazy. "What?"

"If there's nothing wrong with me, I'll kill you dammit." Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and entwined their fingers, digging his nails deep into the brunette's pale flesh.

"You know, I used to watch TV," Sasuke said cautiously, "and I'm just wondering… Is this going to be like childbirth? Are you going to detach my hand?"

"If you keep saying dumb shit like that, yes."

Sasuke's face distorted into a mask of sick fear. "I'll be quiet then." He soon found out that there was no solace in his silence. Naruto's screams of pain as the doctor probed him only amplified the pain Sasuke felt, himself, by giving him a headache along with his loss of skin on his hand. He went to his happy place until it was over.

* * *

ahhhhhm... I dunno. He has a happy place because he's a freak. And if you didn't get it, he was cutting himself because he heard his brother's all too familiar snoring. He thought he was nuts. In like... nine or ten, Hyuuga talks about a phsychiactric help period-- that was it. ahhhh... i think that's it. still confused? Ask-eth me-eth


	22. Pictures

well now well now... i have to tell you... i kicked my ass to ger this finished before i started up doing my project again. it's a bit rushed at the end but... you'll be fine. now... the explaination... if you don't understand it then... send me a message or say so or something. i'll try to make what was wrong with him clearer. ahhhhhh... something else... right. He goes into his own head. don't get on me about that. i wanted to pass time.. so there it was.

i drew a picture of kit, and one of nikko if you want to look at them. go to my little pagey thing and click the links lovelies.

* * *

"Gee…" Sasuke muttered from his seat once he and the rest of the company were in the car again. "I can't _imagine _how that could have happened."

Naruto clasped his hands in front of him and wiggled until he was comfortable. They found out what was wrong with him finally. The lining of his rectum was torn. That wasn't the bad part though. A new lining had grown over it, so the tear just kept growing when ever he moved a certain way or with too much gusto. The reason he didn't bleed was because the blood was trapped behind the new, thin lining.

"Not right now, please?" the blonde asked, his voice barely audible. It'd gone coarse from his argument of _not_ having the operation done. After screaming his head off, he was forced to comply-- even if the thought scared the hell out of him. The doctor had cut through the newly developed membrane and drained the blood out. Then, he stitched the original lining shut.

Naruto had heard all that from Itachi. He was glad that they'd let him sleep through the procedure. If he had been awake, the doctor probably would've had to have met Kityasha. That wouldn't have been a good impression.

"Little Brother…" Itachi growled from up front, "Don't patronize him. He'd be in his right mind to make you keep quiet."

Sasuke harrumphed and turned to glare out of his window. "As if he could. He probably can't even throw a punch right now."

"Sasuke… shut up," Naruto pleaded. He picked his jacket up off of the floor and managed to get into it from behind his seatbelt. "I don't want to hear your shit right now. I'm not in the mood."

"You really think I care if you're 'in the mood?'" Sasuke asked. He draped his arm over the back of the seat wishing that he'd brought his jacket along too. It was starting to get colder. "I think you've lost it."

Naruto yawned, bringing forth extreme discomfort. "I can't do this right now… Guess what 'Suke-_chan_."

"Hm?"

"I wanna talk to Kit. At least he doesn't look down on my conditions dattebayo… Meet Nikko." Before Sasuke could protest, he saw that all familiar look cloud Naruto's face as he went limp. A groan escaped the raven-haired teen when he saw the blonde jerk back to life with eyes that looked like they could drown anyone who gazed for too long. They shut almost instantly.

Itachi scoffed from up front. "Good trick. You should consider becoming a magician with that vanishing act of yours, Little Brother."

"Shut it!!" Sasuke's shout reverberated throughout the car, awakening the tiny blonde persona beside him. He looked around for a few moments before speaking.

"Excuse me," he said sweetly, "but… what just happened?"

"Nice to see you again, Nikko," Itachi said in his monotone from the front seat. "You don't come out too often."

"Hm?" He leaned forward and took a closer look at the driver. "Oh!! Itachi-kun!! Hello."

Sasuke bit back any words that threatened to escape him while the two kept up their conversation. He wasn't too interested in meeting another personality that might come out. As long as he didn't know it, he didn't have to think about it.

"Sasuke-kun… right?"

Sasuke turned around to see what the blonde next to him wanted. It was staring at him, deep blue eyes grasping his attention. The brunette was rendered stupefied at how pretty they'd become.

"That's my name," Sasuke said, finally snapping out of his daze. The blonde boy next to him squealed in delight. Sasuke thought the conversation was only going to head downhill since it sounded so much like a fan-girl. That was always a bad omen. If only he'd stayed quiet the first time they'd told him… Then he wouldn't have to sit through the girlish chatter that the other third provided.

Kityasha was right. Sasuke was going to meet Nikko. And Nikko was a pansy. Maybe he could call upon his demons to put him to sleep through the chatter. He didn't think Nikko'd notice since the blonde thing next to him was gabbing away without pause. Just being near it was hell in itself.

Naruto, on the other hand, was quite content with the personality he was "sitting" with. Having conversations in his mind could make him feel better about anything, even how his horrible internal wound had come about. It was also amusing to be inside his head and speaking to his counterpart as well.

"New trick you've learned Kid?" Kityasha asked when he caught sight of him on the bed instead of Nikko.

"Well… I figured I'd try something out. I normally just sleep here, don't I?" Naruto asked.

"You're quick to catch on, huh? So tell me, what do you think?" The man with immensely long hair gestured around him. Naruto looked around and was shocked. He hadn't taken the time to look into his surroundings, which were actually pretty nice.

He never thought that his imagination would look like a mardi gras harem room. It even had the bowls of fruit and glittery streamers. Pillows were strewn about everywhere, and the bed Naruto was sitting on was huge. The canopy over it was almost as big as Sasuke's.

"… This is what my brain looks like?" Naruto screwed up his face in a grimace. "Am I on LSD right now?"

Kityasha laughed and pushed back a few fly-away hairs he had. "No, Kid. Nikko and I just made this place up. We live here."

"We? As in… you _and_ Nikko?"

"Yeah. He insisted on the velvet. Damn pansy…" Kityasha took a drag on his cigarette.

Naruto ignored it and, instead, smiled to himself. "Nikko's a boy?!"

"Yeah… why else would we be sleeping in the same bed?"

"Ne, ne!! Kit!!" The man in the leather vest gave him his attention. "Talk to me? I don't wanna look at 'Suke right now. He's being really pissy…"

"Alright." The subconscious being flopped onto the bed and rolled over. "What about?"

"Give me your opinion on all of my friends!!" Naruto beamed.

"All of them? You're serious?" Naruto nodded. "Alright, well, who to start with?"

"Tachi."

"Well… there's some fun." They discussed Naruto's acquaintances until Nikko started complaining of boredom. They'd gotten as far as ten people before he said that Sasuke had started ignoring him. Naruto was happy to give up his spot for the one with the other freshman after his chat with Kit.

As soon as the blonde opened his eyes again, Itachi asked, "Ru back?"

"Hiya," Naruto replied.

"Have fun?" After getting a nod from Naruto, the older Uchiha continued. "Well, we don't have to blindfold your lovely Sasuke."

"Why not?"

"… He's sleeping in your lap, hun."

Naruto looked down, and, sure enough, there was his brunette, lounging peacefully on his thigh. He smiled and started running his fingers through Sasuke's onyx locks. "He is lovely, isn't he?"

"You really think he is?"

"Well, he looks just like you, doesn't he?" Itachi concentrated on the road to his home without interrupting Naruto and his petting the rest of the way. Once they finally coasted to a stop in the driveway, Itachi took Sasuke from Naruto's lap and carried him to the door. Naruto sat in his spot stupefied.

"Well," Itachi said from the house, "get the keys and open the door."

"R-right!!" Naruto gasped. He scrambled from his seat and reached around to the front. After freeing the key ring from the ignition, he raced to the door. Then he frowned.

"It's the red one," Itachi offered.

"Thanks." He fumbled the keys of various sizes around until he found the one wrapped in red elastic. Naruto put it in the lock and opened the door. He just looked on in awe as Itachi walked pass him.

For someone who was supposed to be living low, his place was lavishly done up. It wasn't just nice furniture or carpeting either. Everything was perfect. Anything that Naruto laid his eyes on was of the most exquisite quality. Especially the antiques that showed his dedication to his heritage. He didn't know much about home décor, but Naruto was sure that any renovator would envy Itachi's decorating skills.

A whistle slipped from Naruto's lips as he took it all in. "_Real_ nice place, Tachi," he said when the Uchiha reemerged.

"You think so?" the coat-clad man asked. "It's pretty low rate compared to the old one. You should have seen my study in the mansion." He took a look around him then scoffed. "Much nicer."

Naruto frowned. "You're just as ungrateful as the other one," he sighed. Before Itachi could give a retort, he said, "Come on. Let's get my stuff out so he doesn't wake up thinking he's been kidnapped."

As if on cue, they heard an angry howl from the back of the house. Itachi shook his head when it stopped. "He'll figure it out," he said before brushing passed the tiny blonde again. Naruto followed suit and trailed after him back to the car to retrieve his things.

Upon bringing in the last box, Naruto thought that he hadn't heard much from Sasuke. He set it down with the others and tossed his jacket with it. With a huff of annoyance, he called out to Itachi.

"Where'd you put 'Suke?"

"In a closet," the man called back from the kitchen. He was making sandwiches.

"Really?" Naruto groaned. When he got an affirmative, he started off down a hall to see if he could find it. He found it after a while. Being his normal clumsy self, he managed to slip on the hardwood flooring and land, face first, into an open door. That would be the only closet in the hallway.

"God…" Mumbling curses to himself, Naruto got up, rubbing his abused nose. "He gets out and leaves the door open. Tch! All I did was turn the corner!! …I don't deserve this."

Sasuke, hearing the thud in the hallway, popped his head out from a room. "Hey," he called from the door.

Naruto, still angry from his run in with the closet, turned his sourpuss on him. "What…"

"Come here, usuratonkachi," Sasuke ordered, rolling his eyes.

"You know," the blonde complained as he trotted over to the brunette, "that door almost killed me."

"It's your fault that I don't like closets." Sasuke grabbed Naruto and pulled him in, shutting the door behind them. "But look, I wanted to show you his stuff."

"His stuff?" Naruto asked, quirking his brow. "You're showing me your brother's stuff, Sasuke?"

"Shut up," the brunette barked, pushing Naruto's hair down in his face. "Yes, his stuff. But we're in the pictures. So it's fine."

"I love your sense of logic," Naruto commented.

Sasuke decided to let that one go. "Just look at them." He gestured to a wall, one littered in frames. Astonishment overtook Naruto again. Every picture had Sasuke, Naruto, or Itachi with one of them in it. The majority was Sasuke and Itachi though. There were picture of them that ranged from the obviously unwanted birth of his little brother all the way to the start of middle school. There was also one of his graduation from the eighth grade. Naruto frowned at that.

"He had to be really close to get that picture," the blonde said pointing. "I told him to stay to the back unless it was overly important… He was never really one to break a promise."

"Really?" Sasuke piped from next to him.

"Yeah," Naruto said with a nod. "It's almost been ten years that I've known him, and I've never seen him go back on his word to anyone."

"Mm…" Sasuke hushed while he swam around in his memories again. He'd been shot back to his first day of school. That day, he was petrified. For the year prior, Sasuke had been educated by scholars at home, so he was disturbed by the idea of believing what other strange people told him. On top of that, he was the only six year old, for the time being, in kindergarten.

"But… Aniki," he'd said when he was coaxed out of the car. "I don't want to. There're too many people."

Itachi had chuckled and tapped him viciously on the forehead. "You'll be fine, Sasuke."

Sasuke hadn't believed him and asked, "Well… what if something happens? What if I get lost? I still do at home."

"No you don't. And besides, I wouldn't let you go if I thought that would happen," his brother said, soothing him by patting down his hair.

"Really?"

Those ten years ago, Itachi had said something to him. He made a pact to the scared, six year old boy that refused to leave the sanctuary of his older brother.

"Really," was the start of his promise. "No matter what it is, no matter how old you are, and no matter what it takes, I'll never let anything happen to you. I swear it." That was enough to console a child. Sasuke'd taken off at the top-speed his tiny legs would carry him. He made an accidental detour, and five year old Naruto had come to his rescue. Sasuke had clung to him like glue until a year later when his tragedy occurred.

The present Sasuke smiled to himself. He wrapped an arm around Naruto's waist and pulled him close.

"What's up all the sudden?" the blonde asked when he was rammed into Sasuke's side.

"Nostalgia," was the reply his boyfriend gave him.

"What about?" Naruto asked, giving up on getting out of his hold.

"First day of school." He pointed to the picture that signified that day. Naruto, Itachi, and he were crowded together at the front of Konoha P.A. Elementary. People were scattered throughout the background. Sasuke was able to point out a few classmates that he was still in school with. He spotted their principal at the time too. No need to make a note of it.

"You mean the day you got lost all over the halls?" There was a hint of amusement in Naruto's voice.

"That happened too often," Sasuke decided. "At least I was lucky enough to spark your interest until I learned the layout."

Naruto sighed. "There you go again with your lack of poetry."

"You didn't let me finish," Sasuke said, shaking the smaller boy a little.

"Finish then."

"It took me two days to get it down."

Naruto frowned again. "Really?"

Sasuke nodded. "Do you honestly think he could take me, one of the elite Uchiha heirs, longer than that to figure my way around a small elementary school?"

"There you go with your superiority trip again," Naruto huffed. "You could've just as easily said that you just wanted to be with me."

"Well, that's a given."

Naruto gurgled. He broke free of Sasuke's grasp and made his way to the door before there was a complaint.

"What's with you?" the brunette asked from his spot in front of the picture wall.

"I'm hungry," the schizophrenic said like it was the most logical thing in the world. "You didn't hear it?"

"We just had lunch at school."

"Maybe _you_ did, but _I_ didn't," Naruto explained. "I gave my ice cream to Kiba, and I talked the rest of the time. So, I'm going to go see your brother and get a sandwich. Come if you wish." He disappeared down the corridor, and Sasuke followed soon after.

"Where'd you put your stuff?" the brunette asked after a while.

Naruto just shrugged. "I dunno. Tachi probably put the boxes up somewhere." They stepped into the kitchen, and he spotted the sandwiches he'd asked Itachi to make. With a squeal of happiness, he bounded toward them, sat on a stool, and seemed only to inhale as they diminished one by one.

"Breath," Sasuke advised. "You don't want to get re-stitched, do you? You already toppled over."

Naruto slowed down a bit.

"So," he said now that he was actually chewing, "what do you plan to do?"

"About what?" Sasuke inquired. "Nothing's happened."

"Bullshit." Sasuke was getting tired of that expression. "Look: You've scored yourself a boyfriend, lost him, got him back again, met up with your brother, traveled across town, found out some devastating things, and all in one day." He paused to engulf the rest of his lunch. "That's bound to take one hell of a toll on anyone. So tell me, what are you going to do?"

Sasuke knit his brow together and leaned on the counter. It never really occurred to him that he was going to have to adjust to a lot of changes for a while. Although, most of them were for the best. Those would include taking Naruto across town and finally finding Itachi.

"I don't really know," he said at last. "It's not killing me like I thought it would—meeting Itachi I mean. If anything, it supplies relief to an extent now."

"Really?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Wow… you're a better person than I am, 'Suke."

"How so?" Sasuke asked back.

"You complain all the time that he's caused you some serious grief, but you don't feel like you need to do anything to him. Me? I would want a certain two bandits dead if I ever saw them again. I'd even make sure that my same knife was used." He stopped when an idea quickly ran passed and smacked him. "They might already be dead though!! I haven't seen them since then… and that was almost ten years ago." He frowned. "That's not fair. I wanted to give the order."

Sasuke cringed. "And you call me a sadist?"

"Well… they did kill my parents. I mean really, what would you do?"

"…Not much actually." Sasuke saw the look of disgust and shock on Naruto's face, so he quickly justified himself. "We don't have that kind of relationship. We never did, really. So… I don't know what I would do if that happened. I wouldn't be melancholy if that's what you mean."

"…Seriously?" When Sasuke nodded, the blonde asked, "Well, why not? Regardless of emotion, they did make you, you know."

Sasuke sighed in self-contempt. He always made it sound like his morals were all screwed up. They weren't, he just didn't feel as connected to his parents as most kids did. Most kids could turn to their parents and tell them when they were having problems or when they needed advice. Sasuke didn't have that option. Even if he wanted, it wasn't like they could help him. They would call his problems petty and tell him to concentrate more on his job. If he wanted advice, they'd probably just turn him away to a counselor.

"I just… don't talk to them," he finally stated. "Even if I wanted to, I'm sure something would come up. Besides, I never really needed to be close to my parents like that. And believe me, I know it sounds terrible, but I really don't even think I would _want_ to talk to them. By the rare, apocalyptic chance that I could, I'd probably turn it down."

"Oh man… Sasuke, that's nuts," Naruto declared. "How could you get through life just talking to strangers? I hated it when they tried to get me to."

"I didn't," Sasuke said with a shrug. Naruto raised a brow in confusion. "I didn't have to, so I didn't."

"…Then who the hell did you talk to?"

"Tch…" Sasuke smiled and dropped an arm around Naruto's shoulders. "You really are dense, aren't you?"

Naruto grunted in disapproval.

"Think, love," the brunette suggested. "Who else was in that house while I was growing up?"

"…Wow…" Naruto sighed and deflated a bit. "Well, I feel like an idiot again for today."

"Well," his counterpart reasoned, "you'd think he was just as busy as everyone else." He frowned. "Itachi was my outlet… until Neji came around of course. After that, I stared talking to that maid of mine."

"Rosa, right?"

"Right. And that was only because she would pester me to converse with her." He moved from his spot next to Naruto to stand behind him. He took his arm down from the slender shoulders and wrapped both around Naruto's slim waist. Burying himself in his favorite golden locks again, Sasuke said, "Sounds a lot like you."

"I pester you?" Naruto asked jokingly.

"Sometimes." Sasuke kissed him through his hair. "Like when you make me sit with other personalities that scare the shit out of me."

"You mean Kit? I don't think he's scary…"

Sasuke shook his head. Squeezing Naruto tighter, he said, "I meant Nikko… What is Nikko?"

"… A person I made up to console myself?"

Sasuke shook his head and squeezed the blonde again. "I meant gender wise."

"Oh! Nikko's a boy too."

"You're all guys then?"

"Yes," Naruto said with a bit of emphasis. "Why?"

"He really does scare me then. I've never met a man who talks the way he does."

Naruto frowned. "Who says Nikko's a man?"

"Is he not?"

"Nope," the tiny teen said rather joyfully. "Nikko is Kit's total opposite. He's only your age."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Sasuke asked rather annoyed at the attempt. "It doesn't change the fact that he sounds like Haruno or Yamanaka."

Naruto laughed. "Really? Well, you can't blame him. He's been wanting to meet you for a while now."

Sasuke scoffed and let the conversation drop. Naruto on the other hand, didn't want that to be the end of it.

"You see," he said, easily marking the aggravation in Sasuke's grimace, "Kit's very arrogant. So, him always coming out to see you got on Nikko's nerves. He just wanted to say that he's seen you too, that's all."

"And he told you this?"

Naruto shrugged in the embrace. "Kind of." He felt Sasuke's frown when he dropped his chin into his shoulder. "Well, I don't want to sound crazy…"

"…Ru, you _are_ crazy. You've got, not one, but two people living in your head."

"Fine," Naruto pouted, rocking a bit to knock his head into Sasuke's. "They talk to me. Quite often actually. You should have noticed that by now."

"Nuh-uh."

"Well," Naruto went on, "it's not that hard to pick up on. Whenever I'm not talking to someone or I'm just acting weird, you can bet that one of them is chatting away up there."

"Really?"

Naruto nodded. "I don't ask them to, they just do. I get their opinion on everything. It's rather annoying really."

"Sorry to hear that, but hey…" Sasuke let go of his uniformed bundle. "Any idea where that man went?"

"I don't know nothin'…"

"Don't talk like that," Sasuke ordered, rolling his eyes. "Come on, we'll go find him." Naruto complied, and they began their search. They started with the front rooms, then the back, then the bathrooms over again. Soon enough, they were back to the closet that Sasuke had been put in.

"M'kay," Naruto started, "I declare we give up for now. He's obviously not trying to see us, 'Suke."

Sasuke shook his head like a stubborn two year old. "No, he's just hiding somewhere. Like…" He looked around him before his eyes fell on the door they'd caught the first time he stumbled out of the closet. "There," Sasuke said pointing.

"Sasuke… weren't we there _before_ we went to the kitchen?" Naruto put his hand on the knob and stopped just before turning it. "I'll bet you he's not in here."

"But… he came back to the mansion… That's where he started out before, right?"

Naruto frowned. "I don't like you…" He turned away from his raven-haired classmate and pushed on the door. It snapped back immediately. Naruto just looked on in shock and dismay. Doors weren't supposed to do that. He jumped back and slammed into Sasuke.

"Calm your ass," the Uchiha groaned. "I told you he's in there."

"Jesus, Tachi!!" Naruto cried. "Just kill me why don't you?! Scaring me like that…"

"Ever hear of knocking?" Itachi asked from inside the room.

"Ughhhh… What the hell…" Naruto pushed off of Sasuke and moved over to the door again. Pounding on it he asked, "What are you doing that you're willing to give me a heart attack??"

The door cracked a little, and Itachi said, "Photo development. This is my picture room. I'm sure you've noticed. You were just in here, were you not?"

"… Shut up."

Itachi sighed before moving away from the door. "Give me a minute," he said shutting it. After a while, Naruto grew impatient and starting asked about his actions again. Reluctantly, the door opened, and Naruto scooted in as quickly as he could.

"Photo development, huh?" he asked, looking around him. "I thought you needed a red room for that kind of thing."

Itachi flipped a switch. It was, indeed, a red room. Turning it back to normal, he said, "There's no reason to lie to you. I told you I wouldn't, didn't I?"

"And that reminds me," Naruto said, grabbing the older man. After dragging him to the wall, he pointed out Sasuke's graduation from middle school picture. "How in the hell did you get this? Didn't I tell you to stay to the back."

Itachi almost laughed. "Doesn't that look a little too close for him just to look pleased?" Seeing Naruto go into thought, he helped him out. "Let me take the burden from you tired brain… It doesn't suit you to scowl, hun. Now listen as I prove you wrong. For me to have taken this picture, I would've had to have been, at most, five feet away from him. I think he'd of thrown a fit if I was. Secondly, I'm sure someone else would have seen me. I was all the way by the exit doors, and left as soon as he was announced."

"Then… how'd you get it?" Naruto whined.

"Compare it to other pictures you've seen of him."

Naruto tried, but he wasn't always great with mysteries. Puzzles maybe, but never mysteries. Putting his brain to the full extent of its worth, he thought. Looking back on times at school, he often passed girls' open lockers. The pictures in there made him seem off guard. He looked absolutely ready to take this one. Going back to the Uchiha mansion, he thought of the frames that littered the walls. He looked angry in all of those. In this one, he looked perfectly glad to take this one. Naruto struggled with the image. He couldn't remember ever seeing a picture of Sasuke with a smile on. Save for a few class photos.

Groaning, Naruto scrambled his thoughts. He couldn't dig up one circumstance that would get this picture in anyone's possession.

"Baka." Sasuke took his fist and dropped it down on Naruto's head. "Eighth grade graduation, love. Tell me, who wasn't I abusing then? Hm?" He saw Naruto's tortured face before saying, "Think back to the car."

"… I don't know," the blonde moaned. "A lot happened in the car… Oh the weekend..? Oh. OH! Yeah!! Neji took this picture didn't he??"

"Good job," both brothers said, patting him on the back. "Stole it from him."

"So, what's the new one you were doing?" Naruto asked, giving his full attention back to Itachi.

"This one," he said, using his hand to display an image on the wall. How they'd missed it when they walked in, they didn't know, but they were glad they did now. Out of every picture he'd seen, this one ranked number two in Naruto's favorites.

"Tachi," he gasped, "you're really good… You're absolutely excellent to get this one without us noticing."

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed. He circled his arms around Naruto's waist from behind him again. Resting his head on the slim shoulder again, he said, "I give you kudos on this one."

Itachi nodded. "I made sure that every room in this house was picture perfect. Makes getting shots like this easy."

"You'd have to," Naruto mumbled. The picture, now that he knew that, did look like studio quality work. The lighting was perfect and caught the slight shimmer of a blush on his tanned cheeks. It even added an eerie tint to Sasuke's pale complexion. It held the classic look of the pure and the not-so-platonic. It was a picture of Naruto and Sasuke in the kitchen; the latter of the two squeezing his toy blonde and kissing the back of his head.

"I've got this one too," Itachi said, pointing to one a bit higher up. That one was of the palm-kiss at the doctor's office. "And, even though I didn't know about… you two, I took this a few days ago." He pointed to a picture from Friday. It was raining, and they were together under that tree in the school's garden.

Naruto tensed up a bit. He didn't like the way he'd been acting that day.

"You really are a genius of photography," he said regardless of how he was feeling.

"And you sound utterly perturbed at the sight of that picture," Itachi commented, never taking his eyes off of it. "Do you want me to take it down?"

Naruto made a noise before shaking his head. "Not at all. It's a nice picture; it just reminded me of something, that's it."

"You're sure?" the older Uchiha asked. Naruto nodded. "Alright. Just remember, you'll never see me when I take a picture. Be on your best behavior."

Naruto just growled after him as he walked out of the room. Putting aside his false anger, he patted the hands clasped together at his belly-button. "So," he asked, "shall we go?"

Sasuke hummed in thought for a while before answering. "We aren't going to the mansion are we?" he asked.

"No," his brother offered on his way passed the door. He stopped to add, "I'm taking you two back to school."

"Well," Sasuke continued, "I guess so… Am I going to be blindfolded?"

"You are," Itachi said from the hall.

Ignoring the question that his brain asked about Itachi being able to hear him, Sasuke went on. "Well, I guess we might as well get going then. I have nothing to do here except sulk in memories of happier times for me."

Naruto giggled and almost sent Sasuke into a fit of anger before justifying himself. Getting out of Sasuke's hold, he said, "You really have no reason to be sulking in anything, 'Suke."

"The hell are you talking about?"

"Your 'happier days,' as you call them, can easily be rekindled. You said Tachi was the only person you talked to. He, obviously, isn't trying to get rid off you if this wall is any indication." He made a show of the many pictures with his hands. "And, you can see him quite often since I'll be living here. I think things are going fine for you, Teme."

"Aw… why the name?" Sasuke crooned, grabbing Naruto again.

"You're still as ungrateful as ever."

"I'm not."

"You are," Naruto argued. "Now, stop trying to make yourself seem like a victim and let's go." The smaller teen grabbed his comrade and pulled him out of the room by the collar of his shirt. Ignoring protest from both Uchihas, Naruto proceeded to pull Sasuke out of the house and throw him into the backseat of the Jaguar. He climbed in himself and told Itachi to get moving or his precious address would be discovered. The older man was quick to comply, locking his house then bolting to the driver's seat.

They reached the school sooner than either of the freshmen would have guessed possible.

"You live that close, Tachi?" Naruto asked, stepping out of the car.

"I do. Now," the pony-tailed man said, grabbing a pen and notepad from his glove-compartment, "tell me when to show up. I need to write it down to know when to leave Akatsuki."

"Oh… uh…" Naruto scratched at his head to jump-start his brain. His lack of sleep was catching up to him in the all-too-familiar school setting. "Five… ish?? That's okay, right, 'Suke?"

"Sure," Sasuke said with a slight nod. "You know you have to get him from my place, don't you?" he asked his brother.

"I do now." Itachi scribbled down his reminded and placed the sheet of paper in his coat pocket. "I'll see you later, Little Brother."

"What about me?" Naruto whined.

"…You live with me," Itachi reasoned. "I'll be getting my fill of you sooner than I want." He took off with a smile after putting Naruto in a mood of sour thoughts.

After he recovered, Sasuke dragged him into the school, and they signed themselves back in. Naruto had to brandish a doctor's note before they let him passed the office. Once they were given clearance, however, hey went on with the rest of school as if nothing had happened.

Although, Naruto couldn't help but fall asleep through his remaining classes. That landed him in detention hall again. This time though, he didn't serve it with Sasuke because he had duties to catch up on. Instead, Naruto was forced to spend his study hall with Hyuuga Neji.

* * *

if you didn't catch that... i love the idea of the picture wall!! my uncle has one and i just stare at it every time we go to see him. now, if you didn't catch the whole principal at the time thing... that would be Naruto's dad man... uhm... yeah, I'm taking a break for a while to get back on track with school. sorry. you can deal for a week or two though, right? right. I'll check reviews and such, but i just can't update for a little while. sorry. I still love you all!!

Ja!!


	23. Back to work

I do feel s sense of accomplishment... I don't have much to say on this except... nope nothin. laaaterrrrrr**_

* * *

_**

**_Chapter: 23_**

"Up, Uzumaki," Neji barked, slamming his hand on the only occupied desk.

Naruto grunted before snapping his head up. Rubbing at his eyes, he said, "Sorry. Missed a _lot_ of overdue sleep today."

"Today?" Neji asked. "Last I checked, people slept at night."

"Well, not this one, Neji," Naruto said with a barely held back yawn. "Wonder what happened… I was fine earlier…"

"What do you mean by that?" Neji asked, sitting on the desk in front of Naruto. "Sleeping during the day I mean."

"Well… Unlike Gaara," Naruto started, "I don't suffer from insomnia. I _need_ to sleep. And, unlike most people, I don't get to do that regularly."

"You sleep during school," Neji scolded. "Ever try it during normal night hours?" He scoffed. "It's no wonder you're always flunking."

Naruto scowled as he sat up, pounding his fist on his desk. "Dammit, Hyuuga!!" he cried, unable to care less whether or not anyone heard him. "That's exactly why I don't like you!! I'm not a flunky!!"

"That's not what your test scores say," Neji declared, regretting letting his tongue slip again.

"Well you know what? I don't care what tests say!!" the blonde shouted. "Want to know why I fail the tests? I go to sleep!!" He pushed his chair back and stood up. Bracing his hands on the desk, Naruto leaned over it to sneer into Neji's face. "I study; I know it all."

"Really?" the older boy asked, sending his leer right back.

"Ask me something," Naruto said. "Go ahead. Anything from your freshman year."

"Alright fine." Neji crossed his arms and sought for something to ask. "I've got one. What brought about the reformation of the Catholic church during the birth or Lutheranism?"

"The 95 Theses," Naruto declared. "Brought up by Sir Martin Luther, father of Lutheranism, himself. He spread the defects and moral corruptions of the Bishops by use of the newly invented printing press. He coined the phrase 'justification by faith alone' to contrast with the Catholic ideal of paying indulgences."

Neji hid his shock behind a frown. "Alright… Answer me this: Two lines can be positioned in what three ways in space?"

"Intersecting, parallel, and skew."

Neji frowned again. "HTML stands for what?"

"Hypertext mark-up langrage."

"There are how many theories to the death of Edgar Allen Poe?"

"Two that I know of." Naruto put up two fingers. "Rabies and bodily malfunction, due to a high fever caused by alcoholic poisoning."

Neji began mumbling to himself. "What the hell… Alright. I know for a fact that you've been sleeping through geometry lately. So tell me… what are the lock-ins to determine whether two triangles are congruent?"

Leaning back out of Neji's face, Naruto groaned. "All of them?…Fine. Side-angle-side, angle-side-angle, side-side-side." With a sigh he added, "In the case of a right triangle, they would be leg-angle, hypotenuse-angle, and hypotenuse-leg."

"How the hell do you know that?" Neji snarled.

"I study, dumbass," Naruto spat. "I also have these revolutionary things called friends who help me out. I admit that I'm normally busy, but, when they can, they squeeze in questions for me."

"Aren't you the lucky one…"

"Not really," Naruto sighed, taking his seat again and laying his head on the desk. "It so sucks that I only get the make-up test option when I'm totally failing."

"Really? That's when they give it to you?"

"Yep," Naruto said languidly, eyes starting to droop again. "It blows that I don't get the chance sooner. I could really stay on top of things like that."

"Well, at least they don't let you fail," Neji reasoned, going back to the teacher's table to continue with this own work.

"Yeah. Good to see I hold up somewhere in the world."

"Well, you hold up in my book as well," the sophomore proclaimed.

"Explain?" Naruto mumbled, unable to lift his eyelids yet again.

Neji took a few seconds to think on the matter. He liked Naruto, he knew that, but he wasn't so sure about spewing it out to the world quite yet. Although, it wouldn't really be the world since it was only him and the blonde there in the room. Then again, however, there was the matter of ramifications. What if Naruto just laughed at him? Or, he could go around announcing it to people.

"But he's not like that," Neji mumbled to himself. "I don't think he'd be an ass about it…"

"Are you going to… tell me?" Naruto asked, fighting to stay awake in his already half-gone state.

"Naruto…" Neji stopped for lack of sentence structure. He hadn't really thought out his monologue.

"Hm?" was all the smaller teen could generate.

Without looking up from his papers, Neji started up again. "Naruto, I don't know if you've figured it out, which I highly doubt, but… I don't actually dislike you like everyone else. I mean… that came out wrong…"

"Take your time," the blonde managed around a yawn.

"Naruto…" He stopped again, this time because he felt the pink speckle on his cheeks. Giving it up, he decided to just blurt it out. "Naruto, I… I like you okay? …I know that sounds infantile, but that's the long and short of it. So tell me, please… what do you think of that?"

"I think you'd have been better off telling all that to _me _instead," Sasuke said from the doorway. Neji turned to look at him franticly, anger running rampant in his veins.

"The hell are you here for?" he barked out, chasing away the color in his cheeks that threatened to betray him.

"… Calm down," Sasuke said, just as mellow as he normally would be. "I only came to pick him up. He's in my project group, remember?"

Neji dropped his edge a bit. "Fine… Uzumaki, get up and go."

"Yeah… That's not going to cut it Nej…" Sasuke said, obviously reverting to old names to placate his cousin. It didn't work.

"Don't you dare call me that anymore," Neji hissed, locking onto Sasuke with a deadly gaze. "Honestly, if I barely put up with it in middle school, what would make you think that I'd let you do it now?"

"Sorry, sorry… Speaking of which, you're very good with a camera."

"… Excuse me?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Nevermind. Now, would you be so kind as to let me collect Uzumaki and drag him out?"

"Is there a reason you feel the need to drag him, Uchiha?"

"Look at him," Sasuke said with a shrug. "He's not moving anytime soon. I noticed that when I walked in. Did you not? …Well, I guess you didn't if you went and said all that."

"Notice what?" Neji asked, finally turning away from his kin to look at Naruto. Despair settled in when he laid eyes on him. Naruto had, indeed, fallen asleep again in his detention session. Only this time, it killed Neji's pride; absolutely tore it out and threw it in a shredder.

"That sucks ass," he stated bluntly.

"It sucks ass for you," Sasuke countered. "I wonder if he's really asleep though…"

"Of course he is. Don't you think he would have said something by now?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Not if it was just a stand-in. After all, he can't go about the school screaming all the time, can he?"

"I beg your pardon? Play it again for me?" Neji asked.

With a sigh, Sasuke slipped his hands into his pockets again; a clear sign of annoyance. "Here look." After pulling the door to the room shut, he leaned back onto it. In an emotionless voice, he called out, "Ru."

He received no response.

"He's asleep," Neji pressed.

Sasuke shook his head. "I know he's not. And I know what's going on… Just to make sure though… Nikko."

Again he got no response.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Neji asked from his seat. "I thought that was a side-persona?"

"He is… And he doesn't like that term."

"…What?"

Ignoring him, Sasuke took a ragged breath and called out the last name. "How ya doin', Kit?"

Before Neji could protest again, the blonde figure before him sat up, rubbing at his pink cheek.

"Oh man," he said stretching. "Gotta stop doing this to yourself, Kid…"

"Alright," Sasuke demanded, "either drag your sorry ass excuse for a sub-being over here, or give me back Uzumaki."

"Why are you so mean about it?" Kityasha asked. "I didn't do anything to you."

"Quite the contrary."

The blonde sighed in his seat again before slamming back to the desk. "Fine," he groaned.

"Lovely." After watching the all too familiar scene of Naruto using his switchboard mind to change personalities, Sasuke walked over. He picked Naruto up out of his chair and slung his orange bag over his shoulder. "Well, we'll be off, Neji."

"No, no, wait," the pale-eyed boy demanded. "What the hell just happened?"

"It's not very complicated, and you're a doctor." Sasuke stopped a minute to shake Naruto awake. Once satisfied, he went on. "I find it very easy to understand once you get passed a few natural boundaries. Figure it out." And he guided Naruto out of the room, leaving Neji in a stupor worse than when he'd first been dumped.

-.-

"Sasuke!!" Naruto cried once he'd made it through the door of the main Uchiha estate. He'd slept the whole ride from school and needed to relieve himself. "Bathroom dammit!! Where?!"

Sasuke took a second to make himself comfortable before even thinking about appeasing his boyfriend. When he saw just how serious Naruto was, however, he decided to help him out.

"Since you'd get lost on the way to my room still--"

"No I won't!!" Naruto interrupted. "I've followed you up there enough!! Can I go??"

"I lock it on Mondays so…"

"…" Naruto stared at his pure idiocy. "Give me the key then dammit!!"

"Alright, alright, one second to find it." Sasuke fished his key ring from his pocket and sifted through the many keys on it. He had the locks they went to scrawled on them, so he just had to find the one that said bedroom on its handle. Naruto was fed up with that after about four miserable seconds.

Snatching the keys from Sasuke's grasp he said, "I'll figure it out!!" and ran off up the stairs, searching for the right key as he went. Sasuke just laughed at him from his spot at the entranceway and shook his head. Removing his now ruined jacket, he made his way to his kitchen, the one with Ben in it. However, he found a rather unexpected guest sitting at _his_ morning table.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun!!" she cried, looking up from her plate of chips when she heard him.

"… Haruno-san," he said back. After taking in the frown on her face he said, "…Sakura."

Smiling, she went on with making him talk to her. "I've been waiting here for you. Naruto hasn't shown up yet."

"Oh, he's--"

"He probably won't even come," the pink-haired girl said with a wave of the hand. "You've seen his grades, haven't you?" A scoff escaped her.

"Actually--"

"I can't believe Professor Hatake paired us up with him."

"Sakura--"

"But, since he's not here, it looks like it's just you and me."

Sasuke swallowed the absolutely soul-shattering remark he'd thought up about her hair and took a pause to let the moment pass. Sakura, on the other hand, wasn't having any of that. She was finally alone with _her_ Sasuke-kun, and she was going to take full advantage of the situation as best she could.

"Sasuke-kun--"

"Haruno-san," he retorted back.

"Please don't call me that?" the girl begged.

"Stop giving me that suffix," he countered. "I hate it to an unimaginable extent; it reminds me of work… I figure you have the right to know since you'll be working _with_ me for the next month."

Sakura stared at him for a short while. "That's what Naruto said this morning!!" she gasped. "How did he know that?"

"… Do I look like I speak with him on the regular basis?" Sasuke asked, grimace clearly painted in place.

"Well, no, but… he did say that this morning."

"And I said something as well," the brunette said, taking the seat across from her at the tiny table. "That doesn't mean I converse with him. It means I've been through his files more often than I should."

"Oh," was all the girl could offer. She had nothing to counter such a remark. Unlike Sasuke, she didn't have access to such things as those. She didn't have the benefit of going into other people's business to dig up dirt to use in conversation.

"Now," the brunette continued, "if you'd be so kind as to let me finish a sentence…?"

Sakura nodded with a very obvious blush in place.

"Naruto's here," he stated. "He's upstairs. Where you think you have to right to say he isn't dedicated to his work, I don't know about. But, refrain from saying such things in my house… if you don't mind that is."

"O-okay," she said hastily. "I'm sorry. Does that… offend you?"

"No," Sasuke said, relaxing in his chair at last. "I don't mind you speaking ill of Naruto. Just do it when he's here. I can't stand it when people talk about someone else behind their back. It's so cowardly."

"Oh… I didn't know you held your morals so high," Sakura nearly whispered. "I'll be mindful of my actions from here on. Besides, I'm working on getting back on Naruto's good side again."

"That's wonderful," Sasuke said before getting up from his seat. He walked over to the window and unlatched it. Reaching into the kitchen he pulled out a box and tossed it to his pink haired guest. "Hold that," he said, closing the window and moving to a mini-fridge in a corner of the kitchen. Bending down, he asked. "Do you drink soda?"

"Yes," she said almost instantly.

Ignoring her eagerness, he asked, "Which kind do you want?"

"Uhm… Sprite, if you don't mind. I don't like stains."

He nodded before pulling the untouched two-liter from its place. He put it on the table and got out three glasses as well. He gave one to Sakura, placed another on the table, and kept the last one for himself. He reached into a cupboard and pulled out a small container. Removing two pills, he dropped them into his glass. Then, he went briefly through the door that led to the kitchen. He returned with water in his glass and the tiny capsules fizzing at the bottom. When he sat down again, he realized that Sakura was staring at him.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry," she gushed out, almost right after he'd addressed her. "It's just… I never took you as one for medication…"

Sasuke shrugged. "It's not like it's for a disease or anything," he said in a rather bored tone. "These," he tapped his glass, "are for anxiety. Sedation if you will."

Sakura shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Not anger management anxiety," he explained. "State of mind anxiety. If I get too worked up, I get a really weird break out. That's all. I'm not going to lunge ar you over the table or anything."

"But… I never said that," Sakura mumbled.

Sasuke shrugged again. "It's fine. I really don't care much about what people think of me."

"That's a lie," Naruto declared, walking in to join his other two group members, finally. "Here," he said, tossing Sasuke his keys.

They were caught without the least loss of poise. "Did you shut my door?"

"…I believe so."

Grabbing the glass left out for him on the table, Naruto walked passed Sakura, simply waving to her, and into the kitchen linked to the small dining area. He reemerged with his glass full of what could be assumed was chocolate pudding and a spoon stuck into it. On his way to the table, he stopped at the tiny fridge and pulled out a small twenty-ounce of Nestea. He plopped down at the table, facing neither one of his classmates, and engaged in devouring his newly attained dessert.

"Alright," Sasuke said, once he saw that Naruto was done with his preparations, "what was our topic again?"

"Love," Sakura offered, her hands fidgeting in her lap. She wasn't used to seeing her two partners at peace with each other, much less cooperating unconsciously. "I was thinking that we go in depth about what it fells like to be in love… What do you think?" she asked, directly speaking to Sasuke.

He simply shrugged. "I wouldn't know what that was like, so I couldn't contribute much."

"Same here," Naruto said. He looked up finally and turned to the girl next to him. "By the way, I'm sorry."

Sakura was flabbergasted. "Wh… what for?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Whatever you were really mad at me for. You don't honestly think I'd say something like that, do you?"

Sakura looked at the pretty boy who was speaking to her. Judging his personality, it didn't seem that he would say something like that without good reason. And, last she checked, he didn't have one. She was going based on what someone else told her.

"No, I don't… But don't apologize," she said. "Kabuto told me that whoever had told him was lying. Besides, I shouldn't have believed something someone I barely know told me about a friend. I'm sorry. I was just upset about Gaara taking my seat while I was talking to Ino."

"M'kay."

"…That's it?" she asked, shocked yet hopeful.

"Well… yeah." Naruto finished his pudding and pushed the glass aside. Cracking open his iced tea, he said, "Life's way too short and filled with grief to hold grudges, right?" He smiled at her before sipping his drink. She was slightly surprised at how he'd handled the situation, but she was thankful that all had gone smoothly.

"I agree," she said with a smile to show her sincerity. "So," she said, addressing both pretty boys this time, "any ideas on what to do for this thing?"

Sasuke shrugged.

"I've got a few," the blonde said. "Listen: We start off with what love is considered to be to a person, why it comes about, things like that. Then, we move on to what it can make people do; how it changes them. Then, how love _normally_, stress the normally, progresses in a relationship between two people."

"You make it sound like it's different," Sakura said, a confused frown gracing her glossed lips.

"You'd be very surprised," both boys said.

Picking up, since Sakura looked utterly bewildered, Naruto added. "Some of my friends have been put into the strangest things in their relationships. You'd never think some of them could even converse."

"Such as..?"

He wasn't counting on needing an example. Still, he did have one. "Well… I dunno if you could call it love, per say, but me and Gaara. Or… Kiba and Hinata—they're good friends."

"Like you said, that isn't love," the pink haired girl countered.

With a sigh, Sasuke said, "Just leave it be." Both of his classmates turned to look at him. His drink, along with the fizzing pills inside, was gone. He replaced their absence with a chocolaty colored stick he'd pulled from the box he'd given to Sakura. Removing the stick from his mouth, he said, "It _is_ Naruto."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the petite blonde asked rather defensively.

"It means, whether or not you know, you aren't going to tell her. I can think of three very odd couples that you know of right now." He bit the end off of his pocky before continuing. "There isn't a chance of you mentioning them though, correct?"

Naruto simply scowled. He was right after all. Then a thought crossed him as a vengeful smile spread its way across his face.

"What's that for?" Sasuke asked, still managing to keep his stoic voice in place.

"I'm glad your room smells like cat piss now," Naruto stated. The grimace that the brunette now donned was victory itself. "I'm so sorry, was I supposed to do something about it while I was up there? It must've slipped that one was actually mine."

"You're going to hell with me," Sasuke said before abandoning the topic. He turned back to Sakura, pokey in place between his lips again, and asked: "Do you agree with him?"

She looked a bit startled. "On what exactly?"

"His proposal on how to set up our presentation, of course." Sasuke couldn't help but roll his eyes. He didn't have much patience to begin with. But, having to give it to some people because of their place in his life, he had none to spare for idiotic girls who got lost in conversation. "It's a sound idea to me so--"

"Oh I agree full-heartedly!!" Sakura cried without a thought. She didn't get the attention she'd hoped for though.

"That's great," was all Sasuke offered up. Waving his hand to extinguish her enthusiasm, he added, "Though it brings up my earlier point of finishing a sentence."

"Must you always be an ass?" Naruto groaned from his chair. "I mean really. She's only trying to get on your good side. You can't just give her a break? You already treat all the other girls like shit."

Sasuke shot a soul-piercing scowl at the tiny blonde. Before he could make his retort, however, Sakura cut in.

"N-no he doesn't!" she exclaimed. "Sasuke-kun's very respectful to us! He doesn't belittle our intelligence or skim over our achievements. He's relatively kind to the girls at school compared to all of those other pompous sex-fiends."

"Aww," Naruto whined. He got up to stand behind her. Hugging her loosely around the neck, he said, "There you go stepping on my toes. I was tryna help you out there."

"But--"

"No buts. See, this is what would have happened if you hadn't said anything." He stood to full height again, walking around the table so that she could see him. "First, I would have said that. Then, he would have thought on it. Being the 'caring' person he is, he would have felt bad and tried to make it up to you."

"Y… you think??"

"I don't," the brunette interjected. "Either way, you're still the Sakura I know. One instance isn't gong to have me groveling at your feet. Besides…" He took a pause to pull at a shock of hair falling into his eyes. "… I'm not too interested in girls right now anyway."

"…Really?" she asked regardless. When she got a curt nod, the world seemed to collapse around Sakura. She was hoping on using the project as a pretext to get close to Sasuke. His sudden proclamation of passiveness towards girls complicated things a bit. But, she was still going to try to make him hers.

"So anyway," Sasuke went on before she had a chance to say anything else. He dropped his hair and disposed of the end to his pocky. "How about we actually do some work and get this thing out of the way as soon as possible?"

"Aren't you the fun one..."

"I'm busy enough without having to deal with school, Uzumaki. I'd like to put this thing in the 'done' pile."

"Yes, yes," Naruto said, waving his hands around to get rid of the emo atmosphere. "We all know how busy you are Sasuke-_sama_. Right Sakura?" He didn't get a response other than her grabbing his wrist though. "...Is something wrong?"

She ran one of her index fingers over his network of veins. Then he felt it. With a groan, he tugged his hand away.

"I'm not doing that," he said, putting his chin in his hand. "Really. Mizuki scratched me."

"Uh… Mizuki?" she repeated, turning the unfamiliar name over in her mind.

"His cat," Naruto explained, jutting his thumb over to the boy who had already buried himself in a book. When he'd gotten it, who knew? "She freaked out when I went to pick up mine in the bedroom."

"Bedroom?" she said, mimicking him again. "… You mean Sasuke-kun's bedroom?!"

Both boys chose to ignore that outburst. She took the hint and settled down.

"So," Naruto began, "are we doing what I said or what?"

"It looks that way," Sasuke said, never offering eye contact. "Write down some things. We've only got an hour and a half to do something."

"We also have a month to get it done," Naruto countered.

"Stop trying to contradict me," Sasuke scowled. "You're in my house, so don't get too cozy with that attitude of yours. Very easily I can send you out with Security… though I'm sure we wouldn't need to use much force."

"Right," Naruto sighed. He didn't exactly like the way that they had to put on a front when other people were around. It made you think. Naruto didn't like thoughts that said the contempt in Sasuke's voice was real.

Another sigh escaped him. "This is so asinine."

Sasuke harrumphed. "Live with it."

-.-

Their time on the project flew by, and Naruto found himself waving bye to Sakura over the threshold of the Uchiha estate. She'd been increasingly kinder over the course of their project time, and he decided that she was worthy enough to be considered a real friend. Though being worthy had nothing to do with it. He found everyone had an equal chance to acquaint them self with him if they wanted. Rank really didn't matter much until it came down to secrets.

"Glad she's gone," Sasuke sighed, suddenly appearing behind his small friend in the doorway. "I may be a pessimist, but I'm no masochist."

"What?" Naruto asked, clear frustrated confusion on his face.

"I wasn't happy having her around. Someone constantly hitting on you is annoying. Especially when they can't take a hint that you aren't interested."

"Because _I_ don't know how _that_ feels," Naruto exaggerated, rolling his eyes. He leaned heavily on the doorframe, Ankouku resting easily in his arms. He'd gone up to get her after Sasuke announced enough work on the project for one day. Sakura went as well, and she played with both kittens, surprised to find out that Sasuke even had them. She was even happier to have a reason to be in his bedroom though.

"Don't whine about it," Sasuke said. "It got us to a good place, didn't it?"

Naruto gave him an annoyed look. Somehow, his pretty face just didn't let it come off as fierce. "If you can call it that. I've got enough secrets, thank you!!"

"What? You want to tell people?"

"I don't care, but going back and forth between you liking and despising me… that's kind of hard."

Sasuke poked him after he stopped. "That's not all, is it?"

After an irritating pause, Naruto added on to his last statement. "Sometimes I can't tell if it's real or not… the loathing that is."

"Well as much as I love you… I think a little resentment is staying around as long as Kit's here."

"That's not what I meant." Naruto sighed before he saw Itachi's car pull up to the front gate. Apparently, Naruto wasn't getting the luxury of being picked up at the door like Sakura.

"Want me to walk you down?" Sasuke asked. It wasn't a bad idea to try and score some good points after what Naruto had said.

The blonde shook his head. "No thanks. I'm fine unless you want to bring my book bag."

"Fine." Sasuke picked it up and flung it over his shoulder. He winced a bit; the weight was unexpected. "What is in here? Your entire term's worth of essays?"

"Just my textbooks."

"All of them?"

"Yeah… I sleep in school so I study at home. That's all." Naruto heard Sasuke groan before he started his walk down the long driveway to the front gate. He smiled in a sort of small triumph. When at last they reached the shiny black car, Sasuke gave the bag back to Naruto. He seemed to shoot to his full height again before putting his hands in his pockets, annoyed at the world.

"That thing will give you cancer," the brunette said, malice easily picked out of his voice.

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Naruto replied, patting his trusty orange bag while he placed it on the back seat. "Thanks for bringing it."

"Yeah… I guess I'll see you later then." Sasuke freed one of his hands and laid it in place on Naruto's cheek. He stood there for a while just happy to touch him. It felt nice how Naruto's tiny body always curved perfectly to mesh with his. He never had to work around annoying muscles to get close; just had to… squeeze him. He had to admit, it was a lot easier than being with Neji. And it did feel better too.

His hand felt warm suddenly, and he saw that Naruto was blushing beneath his pale fingers. With a lazy smile, Sasuke bent over and kissed him softly, for once, before letting him go.

Naruto took a second to recompose himself. "I thought you had cameras?"

"On the street? You really are a dobe; how else did he get in and out?" he asked, motioning toward Itachi in the front seat. "This isn't Hogwarts—no secret passages from the next town over." He pushed his hand through Naruto's hair, basically petting him, before turning around. "Later," he said, waving over his shoulder. He trekked back up to the mansion.

Naruto disappeared into the front seat before he said anything again. "Hi, Tachi!" he cried, leaning over a bit to hug the man with the arm that wasn't holding the cat. He got hugged back. Letting go of the older Uchiha, he turned on the car's radio and sat back. The ride home was smooth, music filled… but it was quiet. It was like the sound of the radio didn't do anything to fill the empty space.

"Tachi… Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing." Itachi shrugged before remembering who he was dealing with. Hoping for a miracle he looked in Naruto's direction. He was staring back with determination. Itachi sighed before elaborating. "It really is nothing. Just having some trouble with Akatsuki."

"Like what?" Naruto asked, dropping his tough-guy exterior, which really hadn't worked because he was holding a kitten. It was like robbing a bank with a bird on your shoulder.

"Don't worry yourself about it. It's big people stuff."

"You know, I'm not ten anymore," Naruto spat frowning.

"I know. But really, don't get hung up on it." He tangled his fingers deep into Naruto's hair before making a fist. The blonde winced.

"Tachi get off!!" he beseeched.

"Will you leave my problem alone?"

"Yes!! Let me go…" He did, and Naruto rubbed at his abused scalp. "Thanks so much…" The rest of the ride was filled with nonsense chit-chat.

-.-

"So you're sure you want to do this?" Itachi asked from his position over Naruto. "I could ask and make sure if you wanted."

"No, it's fine," Naruto said chewing on one of his thumbs. Tears of fright threatened to spill over as he mumbled, "Just do it."

"It's going to hurt," Itachi said, trying his damnedest to persuade the blonde. "You know once I start that there's no stopping, right?"

"Tachi… don't do this. You're gonna make me change my mind."

"That's what I'm trying to do." He leaned over a bit and held Naruto's face in his hands. "I don't need you despising me along with the rest of the world."

"I'm going to if you don't at least give it a try," Naruto growled from under him. They'd already talked about his branding in the car. Why couldn't Itachi just do it and get it over with? Life would be so much better if Naruto didn't have to dread getting the Akatsuki mark every time he walked into the club.

"Fine." Itachi leaned back out of the blonde's face to a normal sitting position. "Damn it… You have the worst name for this."

"That's all swell and dandy," Naruto whined, "but I'm not so comfortable any more. Can you just do this?"

Itachi smiled behind his worried look. "Are you sure? I can call and see if you can get a change. I did. I was supposed to have a huge fan on my back."

"Well…" Naruto looked distraught, torn between pain and fright. He shook his head after only a few seconds. "No. Just give me the spiral. It's a one shot."

"No, it isn't," Itachi said, smacking Naruto's bare stomach. He reached over to grab the fork he'd gotten from the hotplate. Holding it up, he said, "Snake-bastard wants it decorated because a single spiral is just too simple."

"Really?" Naruto moaned with a wince.

"Really. You should've known that since he's an eccentric freak."

For those next few seconds, Itachi had no clue what was going on in Naruto's head. He looked like he was thinking, but then again, he just looked sad. Finally, the tiny boy spoke again.

"I wanna wait."

"… Why exactly do you want to wait _now_?" Itachi asked, a little annoyed at how he had to work to get Naruto to change his mind. He was still glad that he did though.

"I thought about it and… and I want Sasuke here."

"Why?" the older man asked almost instantly.

"I dunno he just… He makes me feel safe." Naruto laughed at himself while Itachi just looked disgusted. "I know it sounds dumb, what with our history of abuse, but it's true. I don't know why."

Itachi sighed, putting his weapon of choice back on the hotplate. "Well, at least it puts this off," he said with a smile. It was a happy smile, but a sad kind of happy. He was glad that Naruto had someone to look after him other than himself, but he couldn't stop the sudden twang of jealously he felt towards his brother. Wanting Sasuke there just meant that Naruto felt more drawn to him than Itachi. Last time he checked, those two had only just become friends. Naruto and he had been at it for almost six years.

Luckily for Itachi, Naruto didn't catch the hidden solemnity behind his smile. It was a rarity that he didn't see through his older friend's masks, but Itachi was glad that he didn't this time. He just turned off the hot plat and lay down next to the blonde on the bed. When he didn't say anything, Naruto picked up on his somberness.

"What's wrong with you, Tachi?" he asked after a few seconds.

He didn't get an answer though.

"Tachi… tell me… Why so woebegone?" he asked, shaking the man's shoulder.

Itachi sighed before rolling over to look at Naruto. He stared at him for a while, laying his hand to rest on the side of his scarred face. When he noticed how scared Naruto was about his sorrowful mood, he laughed. His smile stayed in place as he ran his fingers through the brightly yellowed hair.

"Big people stuff," he said, this time careful not to showcase his sadness.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

actually, there was something. that right there. The whole Itachi scene. Freakin love it XD poor poor tachi... :\


	24. Life is Good!

((CRITIC MODE))  
I used some reallllly bad word choice in this one, and it's really short in comparison to its predecessing chapters.  
and... i don't think there's anything else wrong with it. tell me if I'm wrong

THIS THING HIT PAGE 200 THE OTHER NIGHT!! that's awesome because I type it in size 6 Kartika so that I make it longer because it looks short... does that make sense?? yes, it does. LATER!!

* * *

The remainder of the school-week had Itachi on the frits with his new houseguest. Naruto was constantly in and out to the hospital. Finally, he got up the nerve to ask _that_ boss to have the month free so that he could concentrate on school. Itachi was glad to hear that he was given the leave. Naruto also had to stay late after school to work on his project with Sasuke and Sakura. That put a damper on Itachi's mood because he always had to rely on his brother to transport him from the school, to where ever they were working, and back to his house. Luckily, that was only the case when they went to Sakura's. Two out of the five days wasn't so bad. 

When Friday morning finally came around, Itachi noticed a change in Naruto's attitude. Instead of bouncing off of the walls in his new room about everything he had to do, ruining the new bed and sheets at that, he was sitting at the bar like countertop with the big window to the kitchen quietly. He was even ready to leave before Itachi. He had showered, dressed, and packed his book bag. That was waiting by the door. And he didn't look peppy like he normally did nowadays. He actually looked rather tired.

Dropping his keys on the counter in front of Naruto, Itachi gave him a fierce look.

Naruto looked scared and asked, "Yes?"

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you?" Itachi demanded. When Naruto looked confused, he added, "You are _not_ the kind of person to be ready to go--" he snapped his fingers "—just like that. And why the hell are you so tired?"

"Ouuuuu..." Naruto took a second to think things over. When he finished, he said, "I don't have much on my mind really. Only one thing. That's what's wrong."

"And that one thing would be…?"

"Birthday celebration."

"Excuse me?" Itachi shot up an eyebrow before looking at the clock. "We've got twenty minutes. That leaves ample time to explain."

Naruto told him the story about his promise to Konohamaru and going with him to his grandfather's grave.

"It's that kid, huh?" Itachi sighed before moving around the counter. "Well, considering what it is, I guess you would be down. That's too bad."

"Why?"

"You see, since you're usually still running around half naked right now, I'd be bored and have nothing to do but read the newspaper." Itachi scoffed as he opened the freezer. "I mean really now… Me? Read the paper?"

"Suuuu…."

"So then I would think of cooking you something." Itachi pulled out a box of microwavable pancakes and set it on the counter. "Since you aren't, however, there's no surprising you. So, I'm eating these. Do what you want for yourself."

Naruto pulled a face that said he was shocked beyond all natural capabilities. "You aren't cooking for me because I'm ahead of schedule?!"

His friend shrugged. "I only do it because you're running late, Hun."

"Are you serious?" When Itachi nodded, Naruto made a noise that sounded like something between a whine and a groan; an awful sound. "You're worse than your brother, Itachi."

"Oh I think that's a bit harsh," the man said, scouring the countertops for a rubber band. When he didn't find one he sighed, playing with the end of his hair. He had to wait for his pancakes to finish after all.

"And why's that?" Naruto barked.

"Well, Ru, I must say: He's a bit more overrun with hormones than I am."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Naruto shrieked. "You play tops when you're 'working'! Yours would have to be running rampant to pull off something like that!"

"But that's where you're wrong," Itachi said, a mock very evident in his tone. "There's this lovely drug that serves as an even lovelier aphrodisiac when it needs to."

"I-I… I don't wanna hear about th-that!!"

Itachi just shrugged again. "You act like it's a new concept to you. I figured you _shouldn't_ mind hearing about it."

"What?!" Naruto's voice had to have flown through a few octaves in that crack.

"Well, considering how I used it on you your first day, it shouldn't really bother you."

It took Naruto a few seconds to drop his fish-on-land expression. That was utter news to him. "YOU DID _WHAT_ NOW?!"

"Well…" Itachi stopped when the microwave went off. He turned around and pulled the plate out. Without adding anything to it, he rolled a pancake up like a burrito and bit into it. "You see, Gaara wasn't there when you first showed up. Well, he was, but he wasn't really—experienced—in that area quit yet. So, Snake-bastard opted for the next best thing."

"And that would be?"

"Moi: a senior member and… something else for Club Akatsuki. Kind of sad really." Itachi finished off his dry pancake and made to eat another while he told his story. Naruto stopped him, however, and demanded that he finish talking to him first.

"Why was it kind of sad?"

"Well think about it." Itachi ate his pancake anyway. "I've got—what?—ten years on you? No, ten years on Sasuke. That means I was twenty-one. That'd be like you trying to take a four year old."

Naruto's jaw dropped. He showed off every one of his pearly-white teeth. "I-I don't think so," he finally managed to stutter out. "Really, it's got to be different."

"I guess. But still…"

Naruto swallowed his comment about an unworthy argument that "but still" thing always brought up.

"Anyway," Itachi went on, "I don't think any ten year old kid is developed enough to have sexual tension… or desires for that matter."

Naruto gagged to himself.

"Besides all that, I actually knew you. So, I slipped you the same thing I use. Hell, it worked, didn't it? You don't remember that day at all, do you?"

Naruto scraped at the far corners of his mind to see if he could dig up his first time walking through the doors of Orochimaru's club. Sure, he knew what happened, but could he actually remember the details? Apparently not.

"Told you," Itachi said, an air of achievement almost visible around him. "Lovely thing, the drug business."

"I think not," Naruto commented, forcing back any vomit that threatened to come up. "So… you're telling me that you stole my first time?"

"Well… yes. But better me than whoever else came next though, right?"

Naruto really did dry heave on that one. He had been reminded of his next time showing up. Orochimaru had taken him a few times that day before handing him off to Gaara so that the red head could show him around the place. Gaara whom had apparently been there a while since he already had that lovely mark on his forehead. Or rather… half of it anyway.

"Hey, Tachi…" He waited for a sign of attention. He got it after Itachi finally gave up on looking for a rubber band, having finished his breakfast. "While we're on this subject… How long has Gaara been there?"

"Subakuno?"

Naruto nodded.

"Oh he's got a long story behind him. Short version says his father dropped him off the first time when he was… five or so. He actually started coming around for real when he was something like eight or nine."

"… Really?" Naruto asked, ogling the man who, presently, quite resembled a woman with his hair out.

"What? I said he was gone for a few years. He wasn't going to come back. He did that on his own. His father isn't so twisted." Itachi took a second to reckon on that. "At least I don't think so… He didn't try to put the other guy in Akatsuki."

"Who, Kankurou?"

Itachi frowned causing lines to appear on his pretty face. "I don't know his name. Is there a reason I should?"

"No! I'm sorry!" Naruto said quickly.

"… You alright?"

"… Yes."

"Freak." Itachi yawned before looking at the clock again. "Oh, God…"

"What?"

"We've still got like ten minutes before we have to leave."

"FEED MEEEEEEEEEEE!!" Naruto moaned. "God!! You have such terrible parenting skills!! I advise you to never have a kid. Social Services would be on you in a minute."

Itachi laughed before giving up the charade. He went about making something very quick for Naruto before they ran out of time. Naruto, of course, helped out a lot by wolfing down whatever it was (he hadn't looked) in record time. They were out the door at the same time they normally were.

-.-.-.-

"Uchiha!!" the blonde cried when, as usual, he spotted Sasuke getting out of his ride to school. Waving him down, he said bye to Itachi and slammed the door of his shiny, black car. Of course he got yelled at about shattering the window, but he heard it so much that he didn't listen anymore. Itachi took off when he noticed his brother coming up to them. He didn't have to watch Naruto walk in knowing that Sasuke was there. That's what he tricked himself into believing was the reason of his sudden departure, at least.

"What the hell is his problem?" the brunette asked when he'd made it to Naruto. He just shrugged. "So what is it?"

"I can't work on the project today," Naruto said, just a hint of pleading in his voice.

"Why not?" the older asked with a slight scowl.

"I promised Konohamaru that I would spend the rest of the day with him. It's Grandpa's birthday so…"

Sasuke frowned as staying in the same room with Sakura for an hour and a half flitted its way across his mind. Not a happy idea at all. With a sigh, however, he said, "Fine. Just… no more after that, please… If I'm not found hanged tomorrow morning that is."

"Really?" the blonde piped. "You don't mind?" When Sasuke nodded, he wanted to hug him. Due to certain circumstances, notoriously known as other students, he couldn't do that. So, he just smiled. "Thanks 'Suke."

"Sure," Sasuke said, brushing it off. Passersby didn't need to see them being chummy at all, so it was always good to look bored.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you something else to."

"Hn?"

"Uhm…" Naruto rubbed at his arm as he felt goose bumps develop under the sleeve. "Could you possibly… come to my branding?"

Sasuke would tell you himself that his mind had a complete and utter meltdown. Everything just crashed, and he went momentarily blind with shock. Once he realized that he was staring, with his mouth open nonetheless, he shook his head clear of the slush that was once his brain.

"Say what again?" he asked.

"My branding," Naruto repeated, an adorable red speckling itself on his cheeks. "I want you to come. It's only Tachi there so… I didn't think you'd mind so much. Sorry." He turned to walk away, but Sasuke grabbed him rather roughly, for emphasis to onlookers of course, and kept him in place.

"Are you serious?" he asked the tiny freshman in a more hushed tone. Naruto nodded. Letting go of him, and a sigh, Sasuke said, "Fine. I'll come… You are not holding my hand though," he added with a sudden leer.

Naruto just gave him a cheesy smile. "Thanks, Uchiha," he said before disappearing up the stairs, a new found pep in his gait. Sasuke scoffed at how easy it was to keep him happy.

-.-.-.-

Most of Naruto's day flew by with absolute ease after his short chat with Sasuke before school started. Since he was living with Itachi, he wasn't up studying until two-thirty in the morning because he wasn't running errands. It also helped that Itachi offered a hand with his homework. You'd think an eight year break from school would dumb you down a bit. That, obviously, wasn't the case with him. Just like Sasuke, he was a regular Einstein. But, that was alright, so long as it kept him from failing.

And because of that, Naruto's teachers stopped badgering him. Since he wasn't falling out on tests, and taking them with the rest of the class, his grades were slowly being pulled from the gutters they'd been resting in for years. Since things were going so well, he also slept at normal hours. Therefore, when he got to his gym period, he didn't have any trouble doing the six laps "recommended" by Gai. And he didn't have any trouble doing it at a regular pace either, unlike most of the students who had dropped out already.

During the run, Sasuke noticed that Naruto was actually still on the track with him and caught up. "What the hell," he grumbled, "happened to you?"

Naruto just shot him a smile. "Having a housemate makes life so much easier!!" Sasuke just looked dumbfounded, so he asked, "What lap are you on?" as they crossed the starting line.

"Last one," the brunette panted out. "Mind not… talking… while we… do this?"

"Race me to the end?" the blonde asked, still chipper and without fault.

"What?" Sasuke asked, slight hysteria notable in his tone.

"Come on…" Naruto moaned when they reached the first quarter arrows. "You're a martial artist for God's sake. This should be easy!! Look, Lee's done!!"

"He's been done… since lap three," Sasuke groaned. "He always… finishes… first, Ru."

"Just race me dammit!! I'll come over Saturday if you win."

Sasuke thought about it for a second. He was already panting, so what good would killing himself to go faster do? He heard Naruto groan as the approached the halfway marker. "Alright," he said.

"When we reach the line!!" Sasuke felt instant regret when he heard Naruto shout "GO!!" as they crossed it. It didn't help that Naruto actually _did_ speed up either. That meant Sasuke had to tap into his energy reservoir. Making noises to himself that could only be taken for cries of help, he made his legs move faster. The shocks he got from his feet as they pounded the track through his sneakers didn't make things easier. Regardless, he couldn't help sticking his tongue out, as juvenile as it was, at Naruto when he passed him around the outside at the third quarter line. Naruto pouted and pushed at the ground harder as they rounded the last turn. Sasuke took quick notice and went faster than he ever had for their psycho coach. He finished two seconds before Naruto.

"Walk it off, boys!!" Gai said in a congratulatory voice.

"You could've just asked me, Uchiha," the blonde said, stopping next to his clearly out of breath boyfriend. He was doubled over, hands on his knees, taking deep breaths like a pregnant woman. "Really, I would've come anyway. You didn't have to kill yourself."

"You little… bastard," the brunette said, still numb from his run. "I'll… I'll…"

Naruto bent over to listen. "You'll what, Uchiha?" Since they were still on the track, people could still here them, so patting his back and asking, "What's wrong, 'Suke?" was out of the question.

"Uzumaki…" Sasuke stopped and straightened himself out. Taking a deep breath he said, "I'll fucking KILL you for putting me through that!!"

Naruto just stood there gawking before he realized that Sasuke was serious. Just before he was tackled, he made a dash back into the gymnasium. "Using the bathroom Coach!!" they both shouted, as they ran past him. He didn't seem to notice the angry tension.

However, when he brought the class back in after a long speech about how only three of his students could embrace their lavishly bestowed upon youthfulness, he saw just how upset Sasuke was. And apparently, Sasuke didn't care. When the rest of their class returned, Naruto was still running around in circles on the basketball court, and his lovely boyfriend was still chucking various pieces of gym equipment at him. He finally hit him and stopped when Naruto fell over.

No one messed with him for the rest of the period. Except for Naruto that is. He wouldn't leave him alone after his assault on his poor head. Sasuke put up the constant argument that, had he not pulled his hair up with the rubber band he'd stolen from Itachi, it would have served as a cushion for the impact. For the first time, Naruto didn't let him use his corner of the showers, and Sasuke had to wait until everyone else left to bathe.

Naruto, since he only had to go to study hall, graciously stayed behind with him.

"You know," Sasuke said from in the showers, "you don't need to stay here. I get off free with being late. You… not so much."

"I know," Naruto said, waving it off. He smiled at Sasuke's back. "But why do want me to leave? Am I bothering you?"

"I'd feel a lot better if I didn't think you were staring at my ass," the still brooding brunette said from the showers.

"Really? Well, this'll make you feel better." Naruto sat on a bench and stared as hard as he could to see Sasuke. "Nope. It's no good, 'Suke. Either your ass is whiter than the rest of your pale self, or someone strategically placed the damn mist in here."

"Lucky me," Sasuke said, turning around. Crossing his arms over his chest he added, "How about you stop trying?"

"Oh come on," the blonde moaned. "As much as you've molested me, I can't look?" The pout he put on made Sasuke turn back to the wall again. "Bah, you're no fun…"

"At least wait until I get out," his counterpart grumbled. Naruto stopped complaining after that. Instead, he lay down on the bench he was occupying and started humming the old theme song to Pokémon when he got bored.

"Please stop," Sasuke begged from under the water. "That song is fucking annoying…"

"Then say something," the blonde whined, a bit upset at how he'd be asked to stop.

"Alright then… Tell me, what's your branding supposed to look like?"

"That's a bit of a disconcerting subject," Naruto said with an obvious frown.

"Hn…"

"It's a big spiral that's _supposed_ to cover my whole stomach… and it has to have tiny decorations."

"Really?" Sasuke asked, turning off the water. "Is the guy going based on your name or what?"

"Yep!"

"So does Itachi have a fan then?" The young Uchiha pressed himself against a wall so Naruto couldn't see him.

"He was supposed to." Naruto looked around a bit before throwing the oddly body-conscience boy a towel. "But he got it changed."

"What to?" Sasuke asked, coming out from behind the wall to get in his gym-locker.

"I've seen it, but I dunno what it is," the tiny blonde said with a shrug. "You can ask him to see it though."

"Yeah right," Sasuke scoffed. He popped his locker and pulled out his boxers and under-outfit. This time it was completely black.

"Well, why not?" the petite boy asked, rolling over to lie on his stomach while he talked to the other teen.

"Do you honestly think he'd let me?" Sasuke asked. He dropped his towel and stepped into his silken shorts.

"Wow, Sasuke," Naruto said from his spot.

"What?" the older boy asked, pulling his head through his shirt.

"I didn't think it was possible to be whiter than you already were." He sat up and tapped Sasuke through his shorts with his foot. "That has just proved me wrong."

"Shut up," Sasuke said, pulling his uniform on. "At least it isn't so noticeable from the rest of me like yours."

"Hey!!" Naruto cried. "Girls like a tan!!"

"… You do see who you're talking to, don't you?" the pale freshman asked, buttoning up his jacket.

"… Shut up," Naruto said, kicking him again. This time a frown graced him. "God… you're so evil to me."

"I am not," Sasuke declared. He shoved his gym clothes in his bag and slammed his locker shut. He kicked his gym-bag over to the door and put his shoulder bag on.

"I think you are." Naruto got off of his bench and stretched his arms high over his head. He yawned, batting at the air above him. "I've been pretty good with girls too, you know."

"Yes, yes, I know." He grabbed Naruto in the middle of his stretch and pulled him into his chest. "It's a good thing you didn't fall for any of them though."

"You think so?" the blonde asked, looking up at him through his girly eyes. "I'm not too sure."

"Don't even joke like that," Sasuke ordered, digging his nails into Naruto's sides. The blonde pulled a pained face that was actually quite comical since he was so close up.

"Get the hell off!!" he shrieked trying to pry Sasuke's fingers away. "God... you two abuse me so much!! Damned Uchihas..."

"Really now?"

Sasuke loosened his grip, and Naruto relaxed instantly in his hold. After collapsing against his chest, he said, "Yes, really. It's terrible. I can't go anywhere without being attacked somehow." He started counting on his fingers. "I get raped at work. I get beat up in school. Hell, I used to get raped at school too. I get my fucking head toyed with so much at home that I feel like ripping out my hair... And that's a lot of hair!!"

"I never actually checked." Sasuke put his chin on Naruto's head and said, "It's always in knots or spikes."

"I'll straighten it one day _just_ for you," the blonde said sardonically; rolling his eyes. "Then, you'd probably call me the most flat-chest-ed chick you've _ever_ seen."

Sasuke laughed. "I've seen you in a dress, so why not?"

"I don't need _more_ guys hawking after me. I told you I don't like them."

"Yes, yes," Sasuke sighed. "I know. You've made that clear a few times, Ru."

"Oh shut up. You make is sound like it applies to you." Naruto pounded his fist lightly on the chest. "Stop trying to play my part."

"Your part? You mean the martyr?"

"I mean the martyr," Naruto said rather matter-of-factly. "You're supposed to be the supporting guy."

"I thought that was your precious 'Tachi'?" Sasuke asked with a smug smile.

Naruto made a noise that crossed somewhere between a gurgle and a moan. "I guess you can be the junior-in-training- then."

"That works," Sasuke said, letting the haughtiness dribble away. He pushed Naruto off by his shoulders and held him at arms length. "I'm leaving. Go to class." He bent over the little bit that he need and kissed him on his forehead.

Shrugging off Sasuke's hands, Naruto pouted and pushed him to the wall. "Are you going to the council room?" he asked, the desperation evident in his voice.

"Yes, why?"

"Can I come?" the blonde pleaded. "I only have study hall, and with Tachi I hardly need it."

"… You're serious," the brunette said after a while. He furrowed his brow and crossed his arms. "I don't think using me to get out of class is a good habit to get into."

"Study hall isn't a class," Naruto grumbled, poking Sasuke repeatedly in his gut.

"Cut it out," the dark-eyed boy moaned, smacking his hand away. "You can't come."

"Why not?" the blonde whined, stomping his foot like a toddler.

Sasuke just looked at him, eyebrow cocked and mouth agape. Shaking his head out of his stupor, he said, "You're so childish."

"Everyone knows that. And I'm gonna have to hear it from Tachi when he finds out I took his precious rubber band this morning."

"I hope he locks you in your room for that," Sasuke scoffed. "He'd have kicked me if I ever touched his hair."

"And he just might do that. He wasn't going to feed me this morning."

"Really?"

"Really!! I told you: abuse! From everyone!! So… take me with you to make up for it."

Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his onyx locks. "I'm not taking you because Hyuuga's there."

"… You think I'm dumb, don't you?!"

"Excuse me?" the brunette asked, going wide eyed from the sudden outburst.

"Neji's got duty over _my_ study hall on the first and last days of school!! That's why I got detention with him on Monday."

Sasuke frowned. If he didn't know better, Naruto would have thought it was actually a pout. "I didn't know that."

"So you'll take me?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Really? That's awesome, 'Suke!!" The blonde hooked his arms around Sasuke's neck, making him drop his bag with a distinguishable 'thud'.

"Was that necessary?" the brooding brunette asked, rebalancing himself.

"Yes, actually. It was. I couldn't do this if I didn't." Naruto stood on tip-toe and pressed his lips to Sasuke's. They were alone in a locker room after all. No one had stayed behind, and they'd been there for a while. No one was going to see.

At least that's what Naruto thought until he heard Kiba shout, "Pour quoi?!" from the door. How did he know it was Kiba? It was French, and only Kiba wouldn't have rushed up and torn them apart. Instead he ran up to the rather shocked Naruto's side and cried, "You didn't tell _moi_?!"

-.-.-.-

whooooo poppin' 'em out one after the other XD sk8 right's next because... I had help XD really, i did. the whole opening was written by someone else.

now let's see... what was important about this...? Naruto found out that Tachi did... that. uhm... I never did gym class suuu there it is!! haha!!

mmmmmm... oh yeah. Kiba knows. that was important. XD I'm learning a new language while I write this thing. Kiba uses French like.. everytime he turns up P


	25. Gossip

I was supposed to do sk8 right... but this is was so far along already and... w/e. the begining is kind of... blech. get over it. it doesn't mean much until it gets to where Kit comes out. someone asked if Kiba was going to blab. find out herrrrrre...

a lot of French in order the words are: **_bad; wait nothing; and; and you; why; name_**

in pain, I'm leaving

* * *

Shock. Dread. Disbelief. Nearly every negative word could have described Sasuke's psyche after Kiba had bounded in. And for some reason, the dark-skinned boy found fit to address Naruto about it. And in a rather scolding way.

Pushing the smaller boy's chest, Kiba snarled at him; bearing his very canine-teeth. "You really didn't tell me?!" he barked. "Oh, ho ho, ma cherié... That was a _mauvais_ secret to keep."

"Wait two minutes, Kiba," Naruto said, finding himself backed to the shower wall. It didn't help that it was still wet. His hand slipped and he nearly fell.

"_Attendre_ _rien_!!" Kiba shouted. He put a hand on either side of Naruto's head and scowled down at him. "I tell you every damn thing. Is there a reason I didn't know?"

"Oh my God!! Yes!!" The blonde cringed under the lethal gaze he got from his friend.

"_Et_ it would be...?"

"It's not good for either of us!!" Naruto didn't notice his eyes were shut tight until he had to open them to glance up at Kiba.

"Explain that," the dog-lover demanded.

Naruto was quick to oblige. "It's not good for him because of the Uchiha franchise thing!! You can ask Neji!! He's got the same problem!!"

"_Et_ _votre_??"

"You have no idea how pissed Orochi would be," Naruto whispered. "Me with a boyfriend?? With any kind of 'friend'!! He'd have my ass..."

Kiba eased up a bit and at least let Naruto stand without hovering over him. "Sounds plausible."

"Really Kiba!! We were talking about it yesterday; telling people I mean."

"I honestly doubt that, Naruto."

"Seriously," he whined. "After I brought it up at his place on Monday, I've been thinking about it." Naruto straightened himself out and crossed his arms over his chest. "You were the first person I would've told had he said yes."

"Does anyone else know?" Kiba asked after a moment to think on the matter to himself.

Naruto shook his head, then he thought about it. It wouldn't do him any good to lie to Kiba now. "... One person. But honestly, he doesn't count." Kiba made to shout again, but his tiny friend threw a hand over his mouth. "He really doesn't!!"

Ripping his hand off, Kiba cried, "Pourquoi?!"

"'Cause no one even knows he's alive!!"

Kiba scoffed and turned up his nose. "Sure."

"I'm serious," Naruto whined. "No one knows he exists anymore."

"... _Nom_?" When Naruto looked confused, he rolled his eyes and said, "Name, idiot."

"...How about I just tell you I'm living with him?"

Kiba didn't hesitate to punch his tiny friend in the stomach. He didn't remove his fist when he shouted, "You're living with some guy I don't know?! That no one knows?! What the hell is that?!"

Naruto took a few seconds to recover. He wasn't really expecting to be assaulted. Slowly taking Kiba's hand from his gut, he said, "Special circumstances say that no one is supposed to know that I even moved."

"You moved too?!" the brunette wailed, pushing his fist back in.

"Kiba... stop it," the small freshman whimpered. "It's not like I _didn't_ want to tell you. It's not just my business to tell, you know?"

"Fine," Kiba said with an undertone growl. "So other than this... mystery guy, I'm the only one who knows?"

"Yes..."

"Then I can live with it," the made up teen sighed. "Still pissed that you didn't tell me."

"Are you done abusing me then?"

"Che..." Kiba flicked Naruto across the cheek, and he flinched. He kept his nails far too long. "I'm done now."

"Thanks so much," the blonde grumbled, pushing Kiba away. "Really, Sasuke!! Is there a reason you let him beat me up like that??"

"…Would you want me to do something?" Sasuke asked, just a tad confused. "I thought if I did, you might call out that third of yours and kick my ass."

Naruto just sent him a scowl. "Well, that was melodramatic, Kiba. Even for you."

"Well I am in the drama club."

"Cliché, Kiba. Very cliché."

He just shrugged it off. "So tell me, why him?"

"Sasuke you mean?" Kiba just rolled his eyes with a who-else attitude. "Well... why not?"

"He's an evil, sadist freak."

"Excuse me," Sasuke said thinking it was high time he got into the conversation. He pushed off of the row of lockers he'd been propped up against in his stupor and walked over to look down on the younger brunette. "I think you've got us confused, Inuzuka. If anyone's a sadist, it's him."

Kiba just looked up at him, annoyance clearly written on his features. He threw an arm over Naruto's shoulders and forced him over. "If anything, Uchiha, the kid's depressed. I hardly think he could be much of a sadist."

"Believe what you want," Sasuke said, contempt distinct in his venomous tone. "Just get off."

"Oh man…" Naruto moaned from his friend's side. "Sasuke, you cannot be like that."

"Why not? He's like that with his boyfriend."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "And you can't be more mature than him? Really, it's only Kiba."

Said teen growled. "Aren't you nice?"

"Shut up," the blonde muttered. "I'm trying to save your ass, and you're going to contradict me?"

"What are you saving me from again?"

"Be a prick then," Naruto huffed, dropping Kiba's arm from his shoulders. "You can duke it out with Sasuke if you want. I'll watch the bloodshed." Kiba just looked at his tiny friend like he didn't know who he was.

"I told you he was a sadist," Sasuke sighed. With a sudden smirk he said, "But he basically just gave me permission to kick your ass."

"I did not," Naruto pouted. "Leave him alone. It is a bit of a shock, you know."

"Because it's me?"

"No," Naruto said flatly. "Because it's a guy. Last time anyone checked, I was straight if not totally uninterested in relationships."

"No reason to punch your 'best friend' repeatedly," Sasuke scoffed.

"Even after everything you've done to me, you're going to say something like that, 'Suke?"

Before Sasuke could respond, however, he was cut off by the lovely Kiba. "You have pet names?" he groaned. "That's absolutely terrible."

"Be happy I'm not calling him 'koi' and 'mou,'" Sasuke scoffed.

"I major in French, Uchiha."

"Forget about it," Naruto pouted. He was ready to throw a tantrum at how his two friends were acting. "I think you're well over the surprise, Kiba. Stop being an ass." He pointed an accusatory finger at Sasuke. "And you stop trying to provoke him. His pride is too far up there to back down for his own good."

"Can we go then? It's been two minutes, and I don't like him."

"Must you always?" Naruto groaned. "I know you aren't this much of an ass for real."

"I am."

"Fine," Naruto sighed. "We'll leave." Turning to Kiba he added, "Please don't tell anyone? As I'm sure you've noticed, we're putting on a front."

"And how long has this been going on?" Kiba asked ignoring Naruto's annoyed grimace. "I won't tell anyone though… And I'll stop talking shit about him too."

"Did you really have to add that last bit?" the whiskered boy asked, noting the nerve jump in Sasuke's jaw. "I swear my friends are gonna wind up killing each other one day."

"Well it's not my fault I think your boyfriend's a dick. Tell to stop being a tight-ass drill sergeant, and I won't complain."

"But it's your fault that he's ready to rip your head off," Naruto commented. "I suggest you leave it alone lest you want him on you."

"I'll call Kank'"

"I'll call Gaara," Naruto countered.

"I'll get Temari."

"Hinata then."

"You know too many people," Kiba spat.

"You know almost everyone I do. Stop whining." Naruto grabbed his book bag from the floor and held it out in front of him. "Can I leave now?"

"…You aren't going to study hall, are you?" Kiba asked, a bit suspicious.

"You didn't see me there, did you?" the petite boy teased. "Which reminds me, why the hell are you here anyway?"

"Hyuuga sent me on an errand run to see if you were here."

"…Why?"

"I don't know," Kiba said a bit defensively. "He just said to look for you."

"See?" Sasuke asked from behind Naruto. "That's why I wasn't going to take you before. He's a fucking stalker."

"I don't think so," the blonde said pushing him further back. "And you're picking up a lot of bad words, Sasuke."

The young Uchiha just looked at him, absolutely disgusted with the comment. "Don't nag me. We aren't married." Jabbing his palm into the back of Naruto's head, he added, "And you use the same ones I do."

"Not as much as you."

"Stop whining." Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's neck from behind. "And it does not suit you to scowl."

"Plagiarism... You stole that from him."

"Maybe we just think alike," the brunette suggested. "We've almost got the same life after all."

"No way... You two live totally different. For one, he's got me in his house."

"And I envy him for that if nothing else." Disregarding all else, meaning purposely to piss Kiba off, Sasuke kissed his blonde on the cheek, bringing up the cutest blush he'd seen on Naruto by far.

"Please," Kiba said looking away, "carry on. I'm not here."

"I don't complain about you and your boyfriend," Naruto said defensively. "Even with Shino I didn't say anything."

"Besides," Sasuke said, adding in his two cents, "you could've left a long time ago."

"It's not a good idea to leave him here so you can attack him." Kiba crossed his arms and shot a leer at Sasuke. "I've already saved him from that once."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Well when you put it _that_ way…" The older brunette let go of his blonde bundle and stood up. He let loose a miserable sigh that Kiba couldn't help but think was fake. And apparently he was right. As soon as Sasuke dropped it, a smirk crawled its way across his face. "I think I might have to ravish him right now."

"Sasuke don't!!" Naruto cried turning to scold him. Unfortunately, that just made things easier for Sasuke. He squeezed the tiny boy's arms to his side and crushed their lips together. Ignoring all protests, he forced his tongue into Naruto's mouth, making him whimper in objection. When he finally let him go, the azure-eyed boy looked dead.

When he found himself able to speak, he said, "You're so forceful with it, dammit…" He kicked Sasuke in the shin and added, "You need practice with that _thing_ in your mouth too."

"I'm so sorry," the brunette said, rolling his eyes. "I'll stop by your strip club and take notes one day."

"Shut it!!" Naruto wailed, pounding on his boyfriend's chest. "God!! There you go saying stuff again!! You don't know if he knew about that or not!!"

"He does, doesn't he?"

"Regardless!!"

"Soooo…." Kiba grabbed Naruto and pulled him away from Sasuke so that he'd stop whining. "Where are you going if it's not class?"

"Study hall is not a class dammit!!" the blonde nearly shouted. He forgot that Kiba hadn't heard his debate on it with Sasuke. Remembering that tiny detail, he added, "And he's taking me to the council room."

"Why?"

"Why?" Naruto repeated.

"Yes: why?" Flicking Naruto's forehead a second time, he added, "I need to tell Hyuuga something."

"Uhm… Why…?"

Since Naruto was confused and lost for a good lie, for once, Sasuke opted to help him out. Even if he wouldn't let him kill Kiba. Putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder he said, "We need an opinion on a few things, and he was still here when I got out of the shower. Besides, he knows the members and doesn't have to worry about appeasing people."

Kiba harrumphed and made to walk past them. With an obvious aura of supremacy about him, he brushed against Sasuke's shoulder. "That," he said, "is the worst acting I've seen by far."

Sasuke just let fly this once. And when Kiba tripped backwards over a bench resulting in hitting his head on a row of floor lockers, Sasuke said, "Be happy I've been on his bad side lately."

Kiba grunted from his disgraceful position.

"Ass!!" Before it happened, Sasuke knew he wasn't going to get out of the way. So he didn't bother evading Naruto's punch. It didn't do much, but it did give him an instant cramp in the neck.

Turning back to face the blonde, he noticed his hair was pulled up again. With his old impassive expression, Sasuke asked, "Must he always bring you out to hit me?"

"Apparently!!" Sasuke looked away as he was grabbed and pulled down by the collar of his jacket. "Must you make life hard? I believe he said it was much easier at the start of this period. Am I right?"

"As always, Kit."

"So stop being so childish about these things!!" His icy, steel-blue eyes radiated anger over the Uchiha's head. "I've been sitting around for a week, Uchiha. The whole fucking school week!! And all because he doesn't want me to kick your ass. I think he'd be in his right mind to let me, don't you think?"

"I do."

"Well do you want me to?!"

"I don't."

"So cut it out!!"

"I will."

"You… will?" Needless to say, blindly agreeing with Kityasha was something Sasuke just didn't do. Even if it did mean getting beat up without being able to do anything about it.

"I will," Sasuke repeated, getting out of the angry grip. "Now get up Inuzuka," he said, jerking his head to Kiba. Sliding his hands in his pockets, a famous gesture that said he was annoyed, he turned to the blonde. "You can leave or come with me." Sasuke grabbed his bag off of the floor and hoisted it onto his shoulder. Leaving his gym-bag where it was by the door, he left the locker room.

When Naruto came back around, Kiba was till staring, stunned, at the door from his undignified location. Whatever the hell just happened, he didn't know anything about it. So, he didn't say anything when Naruto hastily grabbed his bag and ran out after him. When Kiba was finally able to realize that he was alone, he got up, untangling his limbs, and made it to the door himself. He looked down the hall and just caught the odd couple before they turned the corner. He decided it was time to put all of those James Bond movies to use.

Going into super-secret-stealthy-spy-mode, Kiba pressed himself to the wall and quickly ran its length. Reaching the corner, he peered around the cinderblock and listened. It helped that he had god hearing, but it was even better that he was quick enough to catch Sasuke and Naruto before they'd gotten more than a few feet.

"Seriously," Naruto was saying, "you need to stop it. You're really gonna piss him off one day."

"He can get pissed," Sasuke scoffed. "I'm not worried about that lunatic in the least bit."

"But Sasuke, Kit's really been in my ear about you these past couple days. And…" Kiba was loosing his thread, so he waited until they passed a doorway and scooted in unnoticed. Peering back out, he caught the tail end of what Naruto was saying. "…worries the hell outta me."

"Why?" Sasuke snorted. "We both know he doesn't like me. He doesn't even follow us into the bedroom anymore."

"Maybe I just asked him to stop it," Naruto suggested.

"I don't think that's why."

"Then tell me, O Mighty Uchiha, why you think he hates you nowadays?" Kiba didn't catch Sasuke's response. He continued his crawl along the wall when they turned again. And, once more leaning around the corner, he heard the blonde.

"Why do you think it's _his_ fault?!" he cried out. "I know you don't get along like you used to, but really now!!"

"I honestly think it's his fault." Sasuke slipped the strap to his bag over his head, wearing it purse style, so that he could cross his arms without it falling off. "I've just been going along with whatever either one of them says, letting them both insult me, and even let them attack me when you aren't around. It's not me."

"But…" Naruto seemed distraught, so he played with the buckle across his chest. "What could he possibly be doing that's got Kit agitated enough to freak on you?"

"Who the hell knows?" the brunette scoffed. "I can't say two words to the guy without him suddenly needing to do something. Why don't _you_ ask them? Fucking psychos won't try to kill you."

"Neither one of them is trying to kill you," Naruto pressed.

They were nearing the council room, and Kiba knew he wasn't going to get the end of the conversation that he needed if he didn't just start walking behind them. Deciding that it was his best option, Kiba snuck out from behind the wall and tip toed after them. Straining for all he was worth, he was able to catch the last bit before they disappeared into the doorway of the council room.

"I don't think so!!" Naruto said a hushed wail. "If anyone's after me anymore, it's—"

"Gaara."

"Neji!!" Naruto stared at Sasuke in shock, stopping at the door. He checked it to make sure it was shut tight. "What?"

"I said Gaara. Subakuno. You know who he is."

"But 'Suke… Gaara? Why the hell would you think that?"

Sasuke leaned against the door with his eyes closed. Kiba took that one instance to disappear in an abandoned classroom to listen. "Think about it, Ru. Who's he dating?"

"Uhm… no one… last time I checked."

"Right. And who's your best friend?"

"Ah… Kiba, I guess. But Sasuke, where the hell--"

"Who's _he_ dating?" Sasuke asked, refusing to be stopped while his mind was actually working things out.

"Kank', but Sasuke--"

"And Kankurou is whose brother?"

"Gaara's!! But Sasuke!! Gaara couldn't possible be hawking after me!! It makes no--"

"I just made sense of it," Sasuke declared, snapping his eyes open to glare at the blonde next to him. "He works with you doesn't he? He was appalled to find out that you were telling me anything about yourself. Like your parents for instance." Sasuke got off the door and stood over Naruto, looking down on him with the scariest scowl he'd ever conjured. "I see it every day!! He pulls you aside to say something snide about me."

"Sasuke how could you--?"

"I listen for it," Sasuke said. "I know he doesn't like me. He never did. So, knowing that he's going to see you _anyway_, I figure he doesn't need to say anything during the day. When he gets you alone, I find a way to listen, just like that brat is doing now!!"

Kiba choked on whatever breath he was taking.

"Who are you--?"

Sasuke pointed to a window of the council room where the blinds were split. A pair of eyes disappeared immediately. Kiba recovered from his place in the empty classroom. "I'm gonna kill Hinata."

"At least it looks like you're scolding me," Naruto said. "But Sasuke, really, I don't think--"

"Well, I do. If you won't admit to that man falling in love with you, disgusting as it is, at least own up to the fact that your charms got Subakuno too."

"But why the hell did you drag Kiba into it?"

Sasuke almost growled. "Did you miss the fact that he's dating Gaara's brother?!" Naruto looked taken back, so he explained it slowly for him. As slowly as anger would let him anyway. "You honestly want to know what I think about the situation? Listen then—and don't interrupt me."

Naruto showed no signs of doing so.

"Gaara could run the fucking school if he wanted, Ru. He can kick my ass, so he's got the council. Teachers don't want anything to do with him, so there's that. And the other kids here… he scares the shit out of them. They aren't doing anything. Kankurou is his brother. I think he'd be more scared than anyone since he has to go home with him. Please tell me that you don't think he could get him to date someone for information."

"Sasuke that's… that's… that's just uncalled for!!" the blonde cried. "You don't think that he just likes him?"

"He was dating _Neji_. Think about that for two seconds and you'll see what's wrong with it."

"Sorry," Naruto snorted. "I don't. He said that Kank' called him defensive, and that they didn't talk much anymore."

"Wrong as _hell_," Sasuke critiqued. "Neji's a fucking crybaby. He will whine to you for hours. I know from experience. Another thing, since when the hell would they not have time for each other?! Neji is not a busy person." Sasuke rolled his eyes when Naruto was about to object. "We didn't because our schedules were out of whack. When I was busy, he wasn't. When I wasn't he was. That's why it's like that."

"I thought Neji liked me though?"

Sasuke tensed up in frustration. "Because Kankurou isn't there!!" he nearly exploded. A few doors opened, and he just sent the teachers the most awful leer he could manage without being charged with harassment.

"But Sasuke…" Naruto made a noise that could be compared to a puppy's whine. "That can't be true… That would mean that Kiba--"

"Is being used? Yeah, I think so, Ru."

Kiba bit his lip, drawing blood without fail. He felt constricted while he waited for the other two to disappear into the room. When he heard the door click, he left his post immediately; he headed straight for his school's auditorium. There was a surprise practice after all. That's why Neji had sent him to look for Naruto; on his way out.

Kankurou had to be there.

When he made it backstage, finally, Kiba was almost ready to let primal instincts take over. He searched for Kankurou but couldn't find him. You'd think someone with five pounds of purple on their face would be easily distinguishable. Apparently not. Kiba stormed through the props, looking for the soon to be victim of his wrath. He found him at some mirror helping some girl fix her wig into place. He relentlessly ripped the older boy away and pulled him off to the side of the stage.

"K-Kiba," he said, a bit perplexed. There was a visible blush on his cheeks since he' been waiting for the other boy to put his make-up on. "What's wrong with you?"

"Are you serious?" the angry teen asked, sinking his nails into Kankurou's arm.

He looked shocked and said, "Yes I'm serious!! What the hell is your problem?"

"I meant about us," the freshman ground out. "Are you serious about us?"

"Yes… What kind of question is that?" He pried Kiba's claw like nails out of his skin and put his arm to rest at his side. His hand instantly curled into a fist. "Do you… uhm… want to sit?"

Kiba nodded and ripped a chair out from somewhere. He sank into it without moving from his spot. He didn't say anything.

"O-okay. Give me a second…" Kankurou disappeared to get his own seat and brought it over less than twenty seconds later. He sat on it backwards and leaned his arms on the back. "What the hell's up, babe?"

"You dated Neji, didn't you?"

"Yes but--"

"Why'd you break up with him?" Kiba dropped the bomb before he exploded himself.

"Excuse me?"

"Why the hell did you leave him?!" Kiba shrieked. "Everyone knows that Neji is the pride and joy of all pretty boys. Why the hell did you leave him?!"

"We just… fell apart," the sophomore said, a bit upset as the words escaped him. "I mean, I was serious about it, but I don't think he was. He was constantly complaining about this and that. One day, he didn't catch himself, and said that I didn't come close to his last boyfriend." His eyes went limpid. "He said that we didn't have a physical relationship, and that was what he really looked for in a guy. And, being Neji, he forgot he even said it since he complained so much about everything. That's why."

"Honestly?" Kiba asked.

"Honestly."

"Then… Why me?" the younger brunette asked a bit more than suspicion evident in his tone.

"What do you mean?"

"There's a rumor."

"You listen to high school rumors, Kiba?"

"Answer the damn question, Kank'."

The older boy sighed miserably before going on. "Why you huh? Because I like you. I mean… what else is there to say? Do you want to know why I like you too?"

Kiba shook his head. He couldn't quite let relief free yet. "This isn't for anything else is it? You do talk about Naruto a lot. I didn't think anything of it until now."

"No!! It isn't for anything else, Kiba. I honest to God like you, man. I can't say I love you yet, so if that isn't enough to reassure you, I'm sorry."

Kiba looked away for a second, flipping over the things Kankurou said searching for any holes. He didn't find any. Smiling up at his boyfriend at last he said, "Thanks."

"…Sure… Now tell me, where the hell did that come from?"

"Promise you won't tell anyone?"

Kankurou nodded. "After that little episode, I don't think I'll be double crossing you for a while, babe." He got a cheeky grin.

"You know Naruto's got a boyfriend, don't you?"

"I do."

"Did you know it was Uchiha?"

Kankurou looked like he couldn't process that. He asked Kiba to repeat it, but he got the same thing. "Are you serious?!"

Kiba nodded. "I just tailed them. Damned prick said that you were doing this because your brother asked you to."

"Are you serious?!"

Kiba nodded again, a smile in place. "I'm thinking someone had to have planted the idea going on what you said. He had some seriously… good reasons for saying it. Every time Naruto shot up an objection, he had a counter. And they sound like they could be true with what you just told me about Neji."

"Really?"

"Really."

"You don't mind if I.. maybe… talked to Gaara about this, do you?"

"Ooh… I wasn't supposed to tell anyone at all," Kiba said, an unsure look on his face.

"It's Gaara, babe. I really don't think they'd mind so much."

Kiba thought on it for a second before nodding. "Alright."

"Great. Now, come put on my make up for me?" Kankurou asked standing. "You _are_ the best," he added, extending a hand out to Kiba.

"Sure."

-.-

"Kank… what the hell reason would I have for that?" Gaara asked when his brother questioned him at a red light. They were on the bike headed home since they both had stayed after late. Temari left at the normal time and took her car with her. "I don't have time to meddle in your sex life."

"It's called a love life."

"Same damn thing."

Kankurou sighed as he waited for the light to change. Why didn't they just get the damn pain in the ass his own ride? "Regardless. A reason? You've fallen for Uzumaki."

"…You're fucking insane," the redhead said once he realized that his brother had actually said that. "Even if that were the case, why would I be making Uchiha think that?"

"Because he's dating him."

"They really went at it?" Gaara asked in obvious disbelief. When his brother nodded, he also started the bike back up. As they zoomed down the streets, Gaara couldn't help but shut up. He was awestricken. He was sure that if anyone tried to get Naruto, it wouldn't be Sasuke. He was always torturing the poor kid. He was always fucking with his head, kicking his ass. It just didn't make sense at all. Sure, they could be friends, they were before. But _dating_?? Something about that just didn't sit well with him.

When he got home, he disappeared to his room. He waited a while for two things. One: Temari hadn't come in yet to yell at him for not saying hi when he walked in. It wasn't like he could anyway. If he tried to go into her room, she threw a fit and slammed the door in his face. Once that was over, he still had to wait for his pain in the ass dad to scold him for… whatever reason he had. Soon enough, he did. It was something about eating all the cookies. At least it made sense this time.

Once he was done getting yelled at from his dad and mother-like-sister, he crawled across his bed. He slipped once on the comforter and skinned his chin on the corner of his nightstand. Curses flying left and right, flippantly, from his lips, he opened the draw and pulled out his black mobile. The red one was for work, and that could wait ten minutes.

He lay down on his evil pillows, evil because they tried to suffocate him at night, and went down his contacts list. He highlighted the one name he had _never_ bothered to call—even for school business. Hitting the call button, he let it dial before putting it on speaker and setting it down next to him on the pillow.

It picked up on the third ring.

"Moshi moshi…" the voice said from the other end. Then it picked up again. "As a matter of fact, what the hell do you want?"

"Hyuuga," Gaara said, careful not to spit out a stark retort. "We need to talk about something."

"…Mind turning off the sex-voice? You're on speaker."

Gaara frowned to himself. He didn't have it on. "That's my normal voice on the phone, Hyuuga. Pick it up and put it to your face if you don't want people to hear it."

He heard Neji sigh before a click came from the other line of the call. "What do you want?"

"I need your help."

"Excuse me? …Wait one second." There was a pause and Gaara was sure he heard a little girl's voice. After some sort of scuttle, it was quite. "Okay," Neji said, scaring Gaara back to awareness.

"What was that?"

"We weren't friends, last I checked," the brunette said, lethal poison on the end of his words.

"And we weren't on speaking terms either."

Neji scoffed. "It was my little cousin. Now what do you want?"

"You're going to have to board with me on the trip, Hyuuga."

It was quiet for a long time on Neji's end of the conversation. Gaara thought he had hung up and was going to disconnect when he heard Neji shriek, "WHAT?!" scaring him again.

"Share a room with me," Gaara said. "You've been doing requests anyway, so why not?"

"I don't want to!!" Neji cried. He felt himself slipping into complain mode, so he had to wait a few seconds before going on. "Why do we need a room together—in your opinion?"

"Do you like Uchiha?"

"Excuse me?"

"Dammit!! Does he get on your nerves??"

"Yes, why?"

Gaara sat up on his otherwise useless bed. "What about Naruto? You like him, don't you? Like… you used to like Kank' I mean?"

"What business is that of yours?"

"They're dating."

"… You're serious?"

"Straight from Kank' himself. He got it from Inuzuka."

"… Alright. We'll share a room." He sighed, and Gaara was sure he ran a hand through his hair. "We have to talk about this tomorrow though, Hinabi's about to tear my door down unless I let her in."

"Why do I care?"

"You _are_ on the phone with me."

"What's this?" Gaara asked, a mock in his voice. "Are you… having _civil_ conversation with me? Like friends do?"

"I figure we will be soon enough," Neji spat with an audible scowl. "Might as well start before we're stuck together and hate it."

"Fine. Be sure that you stick those two together though."

"I thought we were working on getting them apart?" Neji asked. Even with his genius, he was a bit confused.

"I'll explain it tomorrow. You have to go don't you?" Gaara looked at his clock. "Besides, I have to go to work."

"You have a job this late?"

"I don't sleep, Hyuuga."

Ignoring the pounding on his door, Neji asked, "...Do you have a bed then?"

"Yes, moron. I have a bed… And what the hell is that noise?!"

"Hinabi," Neji whined. "I kicked her out, remember?"

"Isn't she like… ten or something?"

"She's twelve."

"Still marks you as a pedophile," Gaara teased.

"Must you?"

"It keeps me sane." Gaara reached into one of his pillow cases and pulled out a decorative tin. That was the only thing the monsters were good for—hiding things. He pulled out a cookie and bit into it. "What's she in there for then?"

"She's fucking obsessed with my hair," Neji brooded.

Gaara did something like a chuckle on his end, even with the cookie. That almost choked him. "What_ever_, Hyuuga. I'm going."

"Later." The phone clicked and Gaara hung it up. Turning it off, he tossed it back into the drawer next to the other one. Before grabbing it and turning it on, he walked to his door and shouted, "Do you need _any_thing from me?"

"Got a dollar?"

"Not for you. Kank'." And he shut the door. Locking it, he sat on his bed and pulled out his homework. He turned on the little red phone and listened to his messages—all thirty-five of them. He was going to be busy tonight.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In the hall, when Kiba's tailing them, Sasuke says: It's Itachi's fault. Then before Naruto says I think not, he says, he's in love with you. 

Neji and Gaara..they're conspiring against all SasuNaru fans. eat them.

Gaara likes cookies and Hinabi loves Neji's hair. who doesn't?


	26. Cheater

being the nerd I am, I went back and read my stories... anyone else notice that 7 is the longest chapter... always??

well... I had fun... for those who don't get it, they're at the Hyuugas' place in the begining. If you'll remember, Sasuke and Neji used to be best friends. He can walk up to his room at wake him up if he feels like it. so... nyah.

he's got a middle name because... it sounds better to state a whole long title when you declare something... yeah... it was very easy to pick too...

oh! the only that little bit of almost sasunaru smut didn't go anywhere is because-- big surprise here-- Brooklyn got side tracked!! yeah... I sooooo lost my thread when I was doing it XD

Sasuke looked across the bed in the boring bedroom at the older brunette in doubt. "You're lying to me," he said finally. Leaning back into the pillows, he turned up his nose and flipped Neji off. "That's not a nice thing to do to family."

"You're hardly family," the sophomore scoffed. "And don't nag me about rude tendencies. I can think of a few you've got yourself."

"Still," Sasuke said crossing his arms over his chest. "Why lie about something like that?"

"I'm not lying. I'll really pair you up with him."

"On what circumstances?"

"No circumstances," Neji sighed. "If you want me too, I'll honestly board you up with Uzumaki. I've been doing requests anyway."

"Did you put up Kiba with Kankurou?"

"In fact, I did." Neji flipped a bit of fallen hair over his shoulder. "Kank' came around to ask me yesterday. He actually showed up _here _on a bus."

"I thought you paired _yourself _with Kankurou?" Sasuke sat back up on his distant cousin's bed and sent him a suspicious leer.

"It's not that much trouble to erase a name and replace it." The Hyuuga rolled his eyes at Sasuke's idiocy. "Honestly, Sasuke, do you want me to or not? That's the only business you have here anyway."

"No it isn't," Sasuke snorted. "I'm here on business with Father."

"...You can say 'Tousan' here. That's what we all call them."

"Hn? Oh, that's nothing." Sasuke flopped across Neji's bed and rolled over on his back to look up at him. "I use native tongue when I'm pissed, Hyuuga. Right now... it's Mother and Father."

"...Why?"

"What do I have to be angry about anymore?" Neji gave him a petrified look, so he couldn't help but smile to an extent. Rolling onto his side, Sasuke said, "That's Naruto talking. Don't worry, I'm still emo-pissed-at-the-world-Uchiha."

"Well... That's not exactly a good thing."

"Well... What do you want me to say?" Sasuke asked, furrowing his brow. "God, you're just like him. You think something's wrong when I say I'm fine. And then, when I say I'm upset, it's like the damned apocalypse."

Neji harrumphed and crossed his arms and legs. Still being in his pajamas, it came off humorous and haughty rather than annoyed. With an agitated sigh, he said, "I finally get you in my bed, and all you can do is argue with me."

"Don't even talk like that," Sasuke ordered, turning to his back again. "I already told you about Ru."

"You're absolutely no fun, Sasuke." Neji undid himself and gave his ex a pouting look. "I wasn't really implying anything."

"I'm sure you weren't," Sasuke said. "But just in case, I'll give you fair warning: unlike you, I'm a one lover man."

"What do you mean, unlike me?"

"A week ago, you were dating Kankurou. In that same week, you practically handed yourself over to me. Twice!! Two days in a row." Sasuke scoffed from his lax position on the puffy comforter. "I think that qualifies as cheating, even if you did fail."

"Oh please..." Neji lay down on the bed next to Sasuke on his stomach. His hair tumbled over his shoulders and onto the bedspread around him. Propping his chin up with his fist, he sighed. "Really, you didn't have to wake me again if you were only going to bitch and call me a bad person."

"Again?"

"Phone call."

"Oh... Sorry," Sasuke said. He shrugged a bit before picking up Neji's hair from next to him. Twiddling it in his fingers, he frowned.

"What's wrong with you?"

"You missed a bit of Hinabi's handiwork, Nej." Sasuke sat up next to the older brunette and worked at taking the tiny braid out. When Neji didn't say anything, he flicked him in the back of the head. "You aren't yelling at me?"

"What for?"

"One, I'm in your hair. I thought that was a capitol offense. And two, I called you Nej. I said that Monday, and you sounded like you were going to kill me."

Neji shrugged, playing with a few locks that had fallen in his face. "As you can see, I don't mind. And we were in school anyway. There's no way you'd get away with a pet name there."

"Just there?"

"And any where else in public."

"Fine," Sasuke snorted. After the wait got awkward, he asked, "So... you'll really board me with Ru?"

"Ask me again," the other replied, haughtiness clear in his voice. "I want you to beg for it."

"... Why do I get the feeling that this'll be your kink for the day?"

"Shut up," Neji growled. He pushed Sasuke down on the bed and sat on his stomach side-saddle. "You're still an annoying bastard."

"And you're still a complaining bitch."

"But that's why you love me, Sas-uke."

Sasuke sent Neji a leer that would have melted the glaciers and boiled the extra water all at once. "We've been over this, Hyuuga. There's no way in _Hell_ that would happen."

Neji blew air from his lips, bouncing them to make that childish trumpet sound. "You say it like there's a chance it'd be the other way."

"Well I sure as hell wouldn't be submitting to you!!" Sasuke shouted from under him. His sudden infuriation dispelled all other thoughts from his mind as he resorted to his initial-Sasuke instincts to think up comebacks. It was like second nature for him. "Last time I checked, you got it handed to you by a kid who's almost half your size!!"

"Maybe, but I am older, Sasuke. Besides, I'm always on top of you anyway."

"Oh yeah?" Sasuke grabbed the sideways sitting boy and pulled him down hard next to him. In a swift movement, he was sitting on Neji's chest glaring down in his face. Neji wiggled to try and get out of it, but two things got in the way. Pain was one. He could bear that. It was only friction from Sasuke's jeans on his chest. The other thing, however, was his hair. Sasuke made sure to pin it under him. That, he could not deal with.

"You cheated," the Hyuuga spat. "My hair, Sasuke? That's low."

"It's terrible that you're so high maintenance and materialistic. I swear, you're like a girl, Nej."

"Ha. Ha." Neji managed to get an arm free from Sasuke and used it to pull his hair out from under his back. With a sigh of relief, he let his head fall back. "God... I hate this awful tradition..."

"Yeah? I don't like the whole bangs thing," Sasuke said, leaning down to leer closer at his evil ex, "but I live with it."

"Well, that can't be hard," Neji claimed, rolling his eyes. "It makes you sexy, idiot."

Sasuke quirked his brow. Not only was he surprised at what Neji said, but, now that he was close enough again, he was able to look into his eyes. Would anyone have thought, the Hyuugas had pupils? Very light and... hardly noticeable, even at that proximity, but pupils all the same.

Sasuke shook his head clear of the distracting thought. "Does it really?" When Neji nodded, Sasuke added, "Well, your hair is a lovely addition as well."

"Is it?"

"It is. It's absolutely terrible when you come into the room after me. Listening to those girls..."

"Aww... You think I'm sexy, Sasuke?"

Said boy put on a face that said hell no, but Neji must not have noticed because he pulled his old lover down by the collar of his shirt and crushed their lips together. And for a sheer second, Sasuke didn't care. It didn't occur to him that by kissing Neji he was, technically, cheating on Naruto. Even if it wasn't his idea, and even if he wasn't really even with it in his head, he was still doing it. And when he heard himself make a soft moan, he was snapped out of his sudden insanity.

Blinking once, to make sure he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating, Sasuke pulled away from the older boy. In complete shock, he got off of him and sat in the pillows again. "You knew that was going to happen..." he breathed, wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve.

"No, actually I didn't." Neji sat up and ran a hand through the length of his hair. He chose to do it from the front so that he didn't twist his wrist to pieces. "That was all on impulse, Sasuke."

"Deceitful bastard," Sasuke sighed. "Well, you can still tempt me, obviously... So don't."

"Why?"

"Why?" sasuke repeated, screwing up his face in confusion.

"Why can't I?"

Sasuke kicked him from his spot on the bed. "You'll get me in trouble with my wife," he said, rolling his eyes. "So leave me alone."

"...But you see me all the time now."

Sasuke heard his father call for him over the house intercom. "...Funny how that worked out after I broke up with you, huh?" Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, Sasuke got to his feet. He stretched once before saying, "Later Nej. Guess I'm headed home." He started his walk to the door so that he could meet his father and leave before he was charmed again with Neji's cunning.

Stopping at the door on his way out, Sasuke said, "Don't tell Ru about this. It's my job." He didn't give Neji a chance to answer before he shut the door and left. When the door clicked, Neji went into his school bag. He had a new addition to the room pairings.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Sasuke got home, at something like two-thirty, he left his father at the door; much like every other time they ever went out together. Which was a rarity in itself. But, so was waiting for his brother to drop off his lover for the day. Rarities weren't always something to complain about.

Reaching his room, he pushed the door open and immediately stripped down to his boxers. He didn't even want to leave that morning, but he knew he had to. Naruto let someone know, so why couldn't he? Besides, it had been ages since he and Neji had seen each other outside of school. And without killing each other for that matter. They usually only met up at some sort of competition nowadays. And that sucked.

Sasuke flopped onto his bed after kicking the door shut. He groaned as he thought about what had happened in Neji's room. How he'd gotten duped by Neji again, he didn't know, but it sure as hell wasn't a good thing. Still being able to fall for his ex was something Sasuke would never have pinned himself for. Then, of course, there was Naruto. Looking at the past week, he was on his bad side. Though, it wasn't his fault. Itachi and Kityasha had him jumpy when they were around, so he was quick to judge. And it usually didn't turn out too well.

He groaned again when his intercom rung. He didn't feel like getting up, let alone walking across the room. So, he covered his head with a pillow. But that damned noise wouldn't stop. He looked up to at least see what was buzzing him so persistently. The little light labeled door was flashing. That was just great. He forgot all about the visit he was expecting.

He pulled himself up from the deep blue comforter and regretted it instantly. He wasn't so much at ease as was, but now he wasn't comfortable either. He growled at the empty room as he pulled his pants on and left. He descended the stairs lazily toward the front door. He knew he was going to hear it for taking so long from just about everyone, but, at the moment. He didn't care. He was going to have to look at the guy he just "cheated on" with his ex. That wasn't fun.

So, he opened the door, waved to his brother down at the gate, and pulled Naruto inside. He wasted no time yanking him up the stairs and back to his room. He opened the door again and locked it behind him.

Naruto looked stunned as he dropped his unnoticed until now kitten, and she ran over to her sister on the other side of the room. When his cat scampered away, Naruto snapped out of his daze. He made to ask Sasuke what the hell was going on, but he was a bit too slow. As soon as he was freed from his stupor he was pounced upon. The brunette took possession of his lips and squeezed the tiny blonde close. Naruto was a bit surprised, but he recovered from it in a few seconds, responding a tad more heartfelt than standing stock still.

He parted his lips, when silently asked by Sasuke's tongue, and put his arms around the martial artist's neck. But when he did, he was shocked again. While he was distracted thinking that Sasuke was being less rough, still forceful but less rough, he hardly noticed that he was being pushed backwards, further in to the room; until his legs hit the foot of the bed anyway. After he realized that, he wasn't pushed down on it. Of course not. He needed humiliation. Sasuke picked him up and laid him across the bed like he was lighter than anything in the world.

His whine of, "What was that for?" was muffled out when Sasuke crawled over top of him, kissing him again. He tangled his fingers into the yellow hair that sprawled out in all directions on the bed. Surprisingly, there were no knots. But that was a minor thing compared to the purr he pulled from Naruto's throat. Sadly, it sounded an awful lot like what he'd done with Neji.

He pulled off of the younger freshman and stared down at the flushed and dazed blonde. His sudden departure from his mouth had left a trail of saliva between them leading back to Naruto's slightly swollen lip.

"Sasuke," he started, "what the hell was that?"

"You know I care about you, right?" Sasuke asked, nearly shouting it at him.

"You told me that yesterday…"

"But you know I mean it, don't you?"

Naruto thought he looked distraught, so he decided to just go along with it. "I know, 'Suke."

Sasuke dropped on him again, this time sliding his hands under the shirt of the tiny boy under him. He left his mouth again only to nip at the sun-kissed neck. He felt the tanned flesh heat up and shiver under his lips. When he licked at the sensitive skin, Naruto grabbed him around the back.

"Sasuke," he breathed, raking his nails down the pale sides, "what is this? What happened?"

"…I kissed Neji," the brunette said, latching onto the younger boy's earlobe. "I didn't mean to, but I still did it."

"Sasuke… That's fine."

"It's not," the pale teen contradicted, biting down slightly on whatever part of Naruto he had in his mouth at the moment. That made him whine.

"Yes it is," he said anyway. "Compared to me, you're a saint."

"Don't say that," Sasuke ordered, digging his nails into Naruto's sides. A yelp escaped him as the raven went on. "That's not your fault dammit."

"Regardless, you're fine, Sasuke. I don't mind it." He managed to get the stronger teen to look at him normally again. Locking onto his eyes, Naruto said, "I kiss everyone. And you know that. It doesn't bother you, does it?"

"But Hyuuga isn't just a friend to me!!"

"Well what do you want me to do??" The blonde grabbed Sasuke's face and held his head in place. He waited for the brunette to calm down, and, when he did, he removed his hands from Naruto's shirt and placed them over the ones on his face.

"I don't know…"

"Exactly," the whiskered teen sighed. "And so what if he isn't a friend? You dated him, 'Suke." Sasuke went to interject again, but Naruto stopped him. "I know I never dated anyone else. But he's family to you. I can't say whether or not that's accepted."

"It's not close enough that we actually recognize it as being related," he mumbled.

Naruto sighed again. "You want to be like that? Fine. I kiss your brother _all_ the time. Do you care about that?"

Sasuke shook his head. "He's like your savior, isn't he?"

"Yes dammit." Bringing Sasuke's forehead down to rest on his, Naruto said, "And you told me so, yourself, that Neji was yours when he left."

"But, Ru… you don't know what it was like," Sasuke declared. "It was like I didn't care at all. Like I wanted to!!"

"Sasuke, he's your ex. And he was your friend since the sixth grade." Naruto puckered his lips and kissed Sasuke on the cheek. "It's gonna happen."

Sitting up, Sasuke said, "You say it like I could run off to a brothel, and you wouldn't care…"

"That depends. Would it be my brothel?"

Sasuke slapped him lightly across the cheek. "Don't talk like that."

Naruto smiled, glad to see that his boyfriend was back to normal. Giggling slightly, he said, "Are you over the whole Neji thing?"

"Yeah… Oh that reminds me." Sasuke resettled himself on top of Naruto and put his arms around him. "Do you mind sharing a room with me on the trip?"

"Do you want to?"

"What the hell kind of question is that?" Sasuke growled, biting the blonde's lower lip. Through his teeth his said, "Of course I do."

"Well… Why ask me then?" Of course it didn't come out that clearly since he didn't have control over his bottom lip, but Sasuke got it. "You probably already arranged it with Neji, am I right?"

"Too smart for your own damn good," Sasuke grumbled. "But yeah, I did. You don't mind, do you?"

"No. And hey." He managed to pull his lip away from its captor. "Where are we even going on this trip?"

"A hotel."

"What for?" Naruto asked rolling his eyes.

"Some… ease your tension and release the stress resort thing."

"Why?"

"The lectures." Sasuke sat up, keeping his hands on Naruto's chest. "There's some motivational speaker there. That's the only reason the council was able to get the trip there. And it's only a few days that you have to go listen anyway. It's not that bad."

"…So it's like a weeklong day spa?"

"I guess so."

"Oh that is kick ass… When do we leave again?"

"Something like three weeks, dobe."

"That's so long," Naruto whined. "At least we can occupy ourselves with this damn project though."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "But that's almost done, you know."

"Yeah I know…"

"…We lost the mood didn't we?" Sasuke sighed, rolling off of Naruto to lie next to him on the bed. "I don't think we're ever going to do this."

"Uh… _this_??" Naruto asked a bit skeptical. "You don't want to fuck me already, do you?"

Sasuke dropped the back of his hand on Naruto's face. There was a distinct _smack _as it made contact with his cheek. "As much as I'd love to, I don't know how. And, no, that's not what I meant."

"What did you mean then?" the tiny teen asked, pulling the hand from his face. Instead, he laid it on his chest and toyed with it; picking up one finger at a time and letting it drop back down.

"There's no way in Heaven or Hell that we're going to last too long."

Naruto dropped his playing habit and turned to Sasuke, shocked anguish claiming his features. "Sasuke… why the hell would you say that??"

"Look at us." Sasuke pulled his hand away and used it to prop up his head. "I couldn't even go through one day without kissing someone else. Better yet, my ex, Ru."

"Sasuke… that doesn't mean anything." Naruto ran his hand up and down his lover's bare side; repeatedly passing the tiny lines he'd just made. Going up one more time, he slid his hand over the toned chest and up Sasuke's neck. He stopped on his cheek and pushed their lips together easy.

And just like any other time, Sasuke needed no invitation to take over. He forced open Naruto's mouth with his own and slipped his tongue inside almost instantly. Running the fleshy muscle over the tiny, rather pointed, teeth, Sasuke pulled Naruto over to sit on his abdomen. After he was seated firmly, Sasuke pulled him down and switched out lips for neck again. This time, he sucked on the base of his jaw right at the vein pulsing under his skin.

Naruto mewled softly before making himself detach his body from Sasuke. Sitting up, flushed red again, he asked, "Can you do that with Neji?"

Sasuke took a second to process the question. It hit him, finally, and he said, "Hell no."

"Then don't worry about it," the blonde grumbled. "We're together unless you do something really dumb like ignore me."

"But what if--?"

"There is no if, 'Suke." Naruto pounded him lightly on the chest. "You tried to make up for kissing Neji before I even knew about it. Then, you told me. Honestly, I don't think you'll be cheating on me."

"What if--?"

"There is no if, dammit!!" He grabbed Sasuke by the shoulders and ripped him up from the bed. Still on his lap, he asked, "Do you honestly take me as a person to waste his time?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"Then stop sapping yourself," the tanned boy said with a small smile.

Sasuke looked away for a second or two before returning his gaze to the captivating blue eyes of his lover. Burying himself in the crook of his neck and wrapping his arms around him, Sasuke said, "You're too good for me."

"Don't say that," Naruto ordered, pinching his back. "Pretty soon, you'll start thinking it's true."

"'Kay."

Patting his back like the baby he was, Naruto said, "Hey."

"Hn?"

"You really don't know how to do that?"

Sasuke just sunk his teeth deep into Naruto's shoulder. After he realized that he was tasting iron instead of cotton, and that Naruto still wasn't over his scream fest, he let him go. Once the younger boy stopped whimpering, he said, "No. They teach traditional things in school, usuratonkachi."

"No reason to bite me," the blonde sniffled. "God… that really hurt… Even through the shirt."

"Sorry." Sasuke took his time to kiss Naruto on both cheeks before using to tongue to wipe away his tears. "Better?"

"It doesn't make the pain subside…"

"Well, it reminds people that you're taken." When Naruto sent him a scowl, he said, "Get up. I've got a lot of bandage in the bathroom." When both of them were off the bed, Sasuke dragged the little blondie through his room and sat him down on the toilet seat. Digging in a cabinet, he pulled out a roll of gauze wrapping and went to work. Of course, he removed his shirt and disinfected it first.

"Better now?"

"…I guess," Naruto mumbled looking at his newly wrapped shoulder. He wasn't used to actual bandaging; just the sticky things that came in a box and sometimes had cartoon characters on them. Seeing the white material wrap around his chest and back after it was stretched over his shoulder made him think differently about its sticky substitutes. Bandaging was much more comfortable; you could move in it without worring if it would fall off. And it wouldn't hurt taking it off.

"You guess??" Sasuke mimicked. Sighing, he stood the petite teen up and took him in his arms. He kissed the bit of white that covered the wound he'd made. "How about now?"

"You aren't going to stop until I say yes, are you?"

"Damn straight."

Naruto laughed and threw his arms around Sasuke's neck. Standing on tip-toe, he kissed him. Getting down he said, "Thanks, 'Suke."

"…That's too familiar for my taste thank you."

"Sorry, you're just too tall."

Sasuke scoffed before retreating to the bedroom again. "Well… can I go back to sleep now?"

"…You were up when I got here, weren't you?" the smaller teen asked, appearing in the doorway. He saw his lovely friend collapsed on his bed.

"I didn't want to be… That reminds me." Sasuke turned over on his comforter as Naruto sat down on the edge of the bed. "I _told _Neji."

"Whyyyyy…."

"To piss him off, why else?" the older said with a smirk. Naruto just pushed his hair down in his face. "I'm kidding. I wanted him to know. That's who I would've told had we agreed on it."

"Whatever." The blonde scooted off the bed and disappeared under it.

When he didn't hear anything after more than ten seconds, Sasuke asked, "What the hell are you doing, Ru?"

"Kittens," he said, reemerging with both in his arms. "I haven't seen yours in ages."

"Che… Softy."

"So?"

"That'll get you in trouble one day. You'll take something bad to heart," Sasuke said when Naruto sat on the bed again.

"Well… I've heard bad things for the past… forever. I'll bear with it."

"Don't be cocky," the brunette said, grabbing him around the waist. "That's my job. Besides, you can't get arrogant here."

"And why's that?"

"It gives me copetition," he said simply. "I always beat the competition." Then he wrestled Naruto down to the mattress and kissed him again. The smaller of the two agreed to take a nap with him for a little while.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Sasuke…" Naruto shook at the sleeping thing next to him. "Sasuke get up…" He shook him again, but he got the same response: a gurgle and a wave to leave him alone. When he rolled over after the third attempt, Naruto had had enough. He pushed Sasuke onto his back and sat on his waist. He wasn't expecting that to wake him; he was light after all.

So, he leaned down into the sleeping teen's ear and whispered, "Sasuke, it's five-thirty. You have to get up." He just got a groan for his protest. "Sasuke, really. Get up." He ran his tongue over the pale shell of his ear before taking the lobe into his mouth. "Honestly, you can't sleep the whole time I'm here," he said through his teeth.

"Watch me," the brunette said, his words slurring together as he did so. He just grabbed Naruto and held him there. "And it's much easier with you here."

"Something here tells me: Naruto, he isn't sleeping. And I believe it."

"I could have told you that," the Uchiha growled. "I'm trying to go back to sleep though, if you don't mind."

"But Sasuke… It's almost time for me to go home," Naruto whined. "I'm having Tachi pick me up at six."

"Is there a reason you didn't tell me that when you got here?" Sasuke asked, squeezing the little teen.

"Because I got here hours ago."

"Can't you tell him to come later?"

"No, 'Suke." Naruto frowned and wriggled his way free from the captive embrace of his boyfriend. "Unlike you, he isn't mooching off his parents much anymore."

"Uhm…. much?"

"Credit card," the blonde explained with a wave of the hand. "But honestly, he's busy later. He has to get me at six."

"Then stay the night," the raven whined, grabbing Naruto again. This time, they sat up, and he buried himself in his sunshiny hair. "You can do that, can't you?"

Naruto groaned. "Come on Sasuke…"

"Please? It's been a week that you've been in my room longer than two minutes. I finally get you here, and you're eager to leave??"

"Don't whine; it doesn't suit you at _all_."

"I'll whine until you agree."

"Sasuke, stop being childish. You can't be like that if you're expected to run a business in a few years."

Sasuke scowled into the lavender-vanilla scented locks. "Who are you? Tousan?"

"Honestly, I'm not staying."

"Why??" the brunette cried, heaving a huge sigh across the top of Naruto's head.

"Because you're acting like a baby."

"And what do you do all day?!"

"See, I can get away with that though." Naruto crossed his arms to go into scholar mode. "With the whole schizophrenia thing, I can be extremely pushy or poutish. It isn't my fault. You have no excuse though, Uchiha."

"Stay anyway?" Sasuke nearly begged. "If not for me, for my tutors."

"…Excuse me?"

"Since I was out, I had no lessons today. Once you leave, they'll teach me ten-fold. And I'll whine and be a little bitch to all seven of them."

Naruto slid on a grimace of disgust. "I can't believe you're older than me." With a sigh he added, "I'll stay. I have to call him though."

"Call him then. Quickly too, if you don't mind."

"Aren't you demanding?" Naruto commented before pulling his phone from his pocket. He made his call, and it picked up. He asked if he could stay the night, and Itachi, much to his surprise, was quick to say yes. Then he hung up. "Wonder what's wrong with him," Naruto said, putting his phone away.

"Who cares?" Sasuke said in a rather bored fashion. "I'm awake now, and you're here for the night. So tell me, how does it work?"

"What? The phone?"

Sasuke sighed, falling backwards on the bed and pulling the blonde with him. "What else in the _world_ would I ask someone like you to explain to me?"

"Obviously it's something you can't do but…" And he shut up. It took him a while because he was blonde after all. And, hearing it so much must have gotten to him: he was a _dumb _blonde. When the time served anyway. Which was most. Naruto burst from the hold Sasuke had on him and turned around to shout. He was red in the face and seemed to trip over his own words as he sputtered out undistinguishable phrases.

"Can you speak?" Sasuke asked from his still laying position.

"I-I'm calling Tachi!!"

"To hell you are."

"But Sasuke!! Are you serious?!"

He nodded.

"There is no way that I, Naruto Sarutobi Uzumaki, in my natural born life, would _ever_ talk to you about that!!"

"…You have a second name?"

"That's not the point!!" Naruto shouted, clenching his hands into tight fists. "I'm not talking to you about something like that!!"

"Why not?" Sasuke asked straight forward. "How else am I supposed to learn? Do you want me to ask Itachi?"

"You wouldn't, and if you did, he wouldn't tell you!!"

"Why not?" Sasuke asked with a frown.

"He doesn't want you in his 'terrible world of sex, drugs, and lies...'" Naruto offered. "That's what he says anyway. I mean, you've got everything but the first one already."

"So tell me," Sasuke demanded, sitting up again. He shoved Naruto back to the matress and steadied himself over top of him. "You aren't going anywhere until you do."

"Sasuke... cut this out," the blonde said growing rather annoyed with his childish antics. Naruto knew how he acted, and, right now, Sasuke was being worse than he was with his tantrums. "Besides, it isn't hard to figure out at all."

"I'm not that ignorant on the subject." Sasuke rolled his eyes before plopping down on Naruto's tiny waist. "I know where to put it, and I think I've got down _how_."

"Then what the _fuck_ do we need to talk about it for?" He took a second to think about that. How he hated puns...

"Well," Sasuke said, twisting his face into an annoyed grimace. He wasn't shocked to feel the pink rising to his pale cheeks. "There is the whole... making it enjoyable thing."

Naruto looked like he'd turned to impassive stone under the brunette.

"I'm serious!!" Sasuke growled, turning shades and shades deeper than his usual rosy tint. "When I think it about it... it should hurt, shouldn't it?"

Naruto shuddered under Sasuke. So, at least he was alive. Then he spoke. "How am I supposed to talk to my kid about this..."

"What?"

"I'm thinking!!" the smaller boy shouted. "God... I have to think about how I would explain it to a kid."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke asked, leering at Naruto.

"It means you're still being childish. You've got me pinned down so you can force me to tell you about... gay-sex..." The blonde gagged to himself and turned on his side under the Uchiha. "Oh Jesus!! This was bad enough yesterday with Tachi..."

"You'll talk to him about it, but not me?"

"We're in the same business!!" Naruto thought about the matter for a short while more before a ragged sigh escaped him.

"What?"

"I don't know what to tell you other than... practice." He shrugged when Sasuke gaped at him. "I don't work tops that often. I mean... look at me."

"Know anyone who does?"

Naruto made a face that said: you're-so-gonna-hate-me-but-I'll-love-it. "Your brother."

"I thought he wouldn't tell me?"

"He won't. So, you're stuck learning like every other homo on the earth." He pushed at Sasuke's chest to try and heave him off. No success. "Go practice."

Sasuke sent a glare fully loaded with newly sharped daggers. "Are you giving me permission to go to a whore-house?"

"No," Naruto said rolling his eyes. "You can't practice, idiot. You just have to go at it and get better because whoever it is is going to tell you that you suck."

"How relieving."

"Sorry," Naruto said, turning to see if he could find a clock. "... Can we go the bed when it hits six?"

"That's insanely early," Sasuke said, still over the younger teen.

"Yeah, but I've got an appointment with Neji tomorrow, remember?"

"That's right... Am I taking you?"

"I'd imagine so," the blonde said turning to look at him again. "You okay with that considering today?"

"I'm fine," Sasuke said with what could pass as a shrug. "But, if we're sleeping, I need to eat. I haven't since I first got to the Hyuuga estate."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Go eat then," Naruto said. "I'm not leaving. And while you're gone, I'll play with the kittens."

"Tch... fine." Sasuke got off of Naruto and slipped on a pair of flip-flops from under his beed. When he got to the door, Naruto called out to him.

"Do you have a too small pair of pajamas??"

Sasuke turned around in the doorway and leaned on the frame. "I don't weat pajamas, dobe."

"That's right... If I'm asleep when you get back, don't rape me."

Sasuke just rolled his eyes as he left the room. He cooked a small something then ate it at his tiny table, all the while still trying to figure out how Neji had tricked him. Without coming to a conclusion other than he, himself, wanting to, he left his plate and went back upstairs. Upon opening the door, he tripped over a certain two animals rolling around on the floor. He cursed to himself regaining his balance. He kicked his flip flops under the bed and took his pants off for the second time that day. Tossing them haphazardly across the room, he got into the bed and sighed into his pillow.

Then he remembered why he even tripped over two cats. One was Naruto's; he was still there. Sasuke turned over under the comforter and saw the pretty little blonde sleeping. It was his first time seeing it other than Naruto being smooshed against a desk at school or a window in a car. So he just watched for a while. He never would have taken the loud idiot to be a peaceful sleeper. Sure, he could be normal every now and then during the day, but he was usually bouncing around the classroom or off sulking in a corner somewhere.

Sasuke unconsciencely moved a hand from under the comforter and put it on Naruto's cheek. It was still sunny outside, so he easily saw the twinge of discomfort scamper across the blonde's face. When it went back to normal, Sasuke took his hand from the tiny face and pulled the tanned boy close. When he did, he felt a shirt ruffle under him. So Naruto was still somewhat dressed.

Being him, his brain said, _Wonder why??_

So Sasuke decided to humor his sadist mind. He pulled the blanket back and looked at Naruto's small figure. He watched the blonde shiver a bit before curling into a ball on his side. After he did, Sasuke knew why he was wearing his shirt to bed. It was Saturday, and Naruto hadn't planned on staying the night. So he hadn't bothered to wear his normal clothes. Either that or all of his his underwear were in the wash.

Sasuke sighed to himself before tearing his gaze from the lovely sight before him. Saturday meant Ichiraku. Ichiraku meant wearing a dress. And that put Naruto in women's panties for the night starting at six-thirty. No wonder he threw a fit about staying. It had nothing to do with Itachi.

Groaning to himself as he flopped back to the bed was becoming a habit of Sasuke's. Trying his damnedest to ignore the tempting little teen next to him, Sasuke closed his eyes. After listening to cats scratch and hiss at each other for two minutes, he realized that he just couldn't do it. Either he woke Naruto up, or he got out of the bed. He chose the latter of the two.

He tore the covers off of his body before sitting up. He heard a noise from next to him, but he tuned it out. When Sasuke got up, he found himself being pulled down again. He hit the bed making it squeak at the sudden movement, and turned to look at Naruto, pissed as ever.

"What the hell."

Naruto just yawned before sitting up himself. "I'm surprised. You didn't tackle him, Uchiha."

Sasuke's annoyance quickly changed over to utter disappointment and regret. "What do you want, Kit??"

"I told you," the blonde said. His hair was flattened on one side, so he ruffled it a bit with his hand. Success. "Monday actually. I was kicking your ass next time we stayed over."

Sasuke made a noise that crossed a sigh and a groan, falling back to the matress again. He closed his eyes, feeling the bed shift as Kityasha moved about to sit on top of him. Ssauke groaned again before looking at the bottled-up-man on his chest.

"What now? You can't just hit me and get it over with?"

"No," the blonde said rather bluntly. "I have to embarrass you first." When Sasuke gave him a pleading look, he just shook his head. "You really don't know how to do that??"

"What is the obsession with my being inept?!" Sasuke cried. "No, I don't. It really shouldn't be that surprising!!"

"Hmp..." Sasuke watched as the half dressed thing on his chest lapsed into thought. When he broke out of it, Sasuke was startled a bit.

"What?"

"Listen to this," the whiskered thing said. "How about, instead of beating you up, I tell you about that?"

"Wh... what?!"

"I know you'll hate it coming from me. I mean, I'm a lust driven fiend, right?" He sent Sasuke a toothy grin. "How about it? No evidence that I went against Naru-chan's whishes. Kid'll be pissed if I actually hit you."

"Really, I don't--"

"Or I could at least teach you how to give a decent blow job. I saw that Neji kid. You can't possibly take his advice on it."

Sasuke closed his eyes as a queasy feeling overtook him. He swallowed down the nausea that threatened to stir up his stomach and pulled his hair over his face. He didn't want to listen to that. But, he was right. Naruto wouldn't be too happy if they had a violent exchange. Then again, who wants to take notes from someone like Kityasha?? Especially on such a subject. Sasuke moaned before removing his hands and peering at the blonde through his onyx bangs. He sighed before giving his answer.

yeah... I think Naruto's a bit too lax on the Neji issue... ah well. he needs to be for this to work. XP can you tell that I went back and read this thing recently? yeah...

right!! you don't ge tto know what Sasuke picked until... well, until it comes up again XD there was something else... but I cannot remember what it was... ah well. byes!!


	27. New Roles

Crack Chapter Warning...

whooo000ooo... well... Everyone wanted to know what Sasuke picked in the last one sooo... instead of just waking up with Neji at the door then doing this, that, and a branding, you get a hwole chapter about another Sunday morning... How lovely...

I've gotten much more comfortable writting about intimacy after that... sk8 thing... that sucked, but I don't think this came out all ack-weird like that one... yeah, it's not smutty. that's not my thing.

NSU... that's a sexually transmitted _infection _that does stuff to the... the U thing with no distinguishible cause of infection... yeah... just go look it up somewhere

* * *

Sasuke felt like he was in a tornado. Or what he would imagine one to be like anyway. Severe shaking, your limbs being torn from their sockets, head trauma because something came up and hit you from behind. And of course there was the consistent howling of wind and indistinguishable crashing wrapping around his head. How he just wanted to leave that retched dream. Ode to whatever could pull him from that hell. 

He was rather disappointed when he managed to peel his eyes open though. That horrid mess just kept at it. He rolled over to block out the inconsiderate buzz that was Naruto. He failed to keep up his sound-wall when something hit him on the back of the head again.

"Get up you lazy ass!!" Naruto shouted in his ear. Sasuke just waved him off, but Naruto wasn't going to give him another chance. He gathered himself behind the brunette and rolled him off the bed. With a king sized mattress, you'd think that was a nice feat. But no, he'd been doing it all morning. They'd just finally reached the end.

The sudden shove had Sasuke groaning as he hit the floor. It did not help his morning grogginess to be knocked against something that hard. He sighed, it coming out like a cracked howl, and sat himself up; leaning against the bed. He was snapped from his early stupidity when he saw the lovely state his room was in. Clothes—his clothes!!—were everywhere. Even his suits were strewn about haphazardly in Naruto's tyrannical assault to the bedroom. Making his way back onto the bed, he saw that there was nothing on it; he'd taken the last sheet in his dive to the floor. Even his desk had been victim to the traumatic experience that Naruto was sending the room through. The drawers were pulled out and barely left on their tracks.

He took note that two certain kittens were nowhere to be seen when he heard something from the bathroom. It sounded an awful lot like he slammed the shower open and close again.

Sasuke did not want to see the blonde running around trashing his room first thing. But, that was inevitable. Sasuke got up, groaning to himself and made his way to the bathroom to see if he could halt Naruto's train wreck in process. Or whatever reason he had for starting it.

Sasuke stepped into the room, the tiles chilling his feet a bit, but that was easy enough to ignore. He saw that the toiletries were a bit scattered, and the towels hanging on the hand-bar for the shower door were soiled on the floor. He sighed, finding Naruto about to rip open a cabinet under the sink.

"What are you doing to my room, dobe?"

"Nice to see you're finally up!!" the blonde snapped back. With an irritated pout still in place, he added, "Where the hell did you put my toothbrush?!"

"That is _not_ why you turned my room into nine-eleven," Sasuke said, rather pissed to think that could be the reason.

"I was looking for clothes," Naruto growled.

"You aren't dressed though."

"Still!! I wouldn't have _needed_ to look at all if you got up the first time!!"

"I was up late," Sasuke said with a shrug.

"Arrgh!!" Naruto turned around and was about to rip the cabinet door off its hinges, but Sasuke had other thoughts. He grabbed the fuming blonde around the waist and nuzzled into his neck.

"Calm down," he mumbled against the tender skin. "You're gonna put lines in your pretty face, Ru."

"You're just worried about your shit," the blonde snarled, still not leaning back into Sasuke's touch.

"Even if that were the case..." He paused to kiss the tanned flesh on Naruto's shoulder. Somewhere along his invasion, he'd torn his shirt. The rip was so bad that the sleeve on the other side sagged as well, and the bandaging underneath was visible.

"Finish your statement please," Naruto demanded. The 'please' didn't do much to soften his request.

"Even if that were the case, Ru, you know there's just something about the morning."

"And that something is...?" he asked, making a rolling motion with his hand to keep Sasuke going.

He chortled into Naruto's shoulder before taking his earlobe between his teeth. "You know that when it comes to waking up I'm just stupid and horny." He slid one hand up Naruto's chest and placed the other slightly lower than his navel. "That had to be easy to guess though," he added, letting go of Naruto's ear and kissing the spot just below it. He used his strategically placed hands to pull the smaller teen back against him at last.

"Sasuke... what the hell are you doing?"

"Why?" the brunette asked as he ran his tongue over the spot he'd kissed. The hand under Naruto's shirt had passed back down over bumpy abs then up again to tease at a stirring nipple. "Does it bother you? I'll stop."

Naruto swallowed his retort and took in a sharp breath when Sasuke began pulling on the sensitized spot on his neck with his lips. He'd left hickeys before, last weekend was a great example, but he was never actually _good_ at it.

"Is that it?" Sasuke teased. He blew an icy stream of breath on the wet skin and saw a few hairs on the blonde's neck rise. "I thought you were one to struggle more than that, Ru."

"Sasuke... when the hell--?"

"I didn't know you had more than one pair of these," the brunette said, absentmindedly running his thumb over the waistband of the panties the blonde donned.

Naruto shook his head, his muscles quivering at the light touches Sasuke dropped when his fingers brushed against them. "I didn't. These are new."

"They have lace," the older teen observed. He nipped at the red skin he'd made, and Naruto yelped, knees buckling shortly after. He grabbed the sink's edge for support and felt a flush consume him at the familiar positioning.

"You saw them last night?" he asked with bated breath, distraught when Sasuke stopped fingering the fringe that ran along the openings.

"I did," Sasuke said with a nod. "They say 'Sexy' on the ass, don't they?"

Naruto voiced a small, "Mm-hm," before a mewl escaped him as Sasuke took hold of just that.

"They're right," the raven said kneading the cheek in his hand. "The black on pink just makes it so much better."

"'Suke," Naruto whined, anger ebbed completely and his mission forgotten. "When the hell did you... Did this come to you in a dream or what?"

"Mm... Something like that." Sasuke took hold of Naruto's hips, pushing up against him firmly, and ran his tongue over the shell of his ear before biting it one more time.

"Sasuke--!!"

"You don't mind it, do you?"

Naruto was abashed to realize that his first thoughts were 'Hell no!!' and 'Again!!' But that was dropped when Sasuke let him go. Looking up in the mirror, he silently asked his lover what he'd stopped for. Sasuke just laughed and turned him around.

Naruto braced himself by gripping the sink with both hands again since Sasuke decided it was safe to lean on him. He winced a bit at the sudden weight and friction to the arousal he hadn't been aware of. Sasuke just seemed to ignore it and put his hands on either side of Naruto.

He kissed the side of his mouth once before looking the blonde in the eye. "It got better?"

"... What are you asking about??"

"You're lip," Sasuke said, a chuckle carrying in his tone. "The cut's completely gone."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh... I didn't pervert you already, did I?"

"No!!" the blonde cried rather defensively.

"Sure I didn't." Sasuke kissed him full on the lips, careful not to come off as eager. He wasn't surprised when Naruto groaned in aggravation and started to work his mouth first. Sasuke held a small victory parade in the confines of his mind; he was glad. However, he had strict rules to follow.

While Naruto was distracted, he lifted one hand behind the blonde to open the medicine cabinet above the sink. Inside was a cup that held two toothbrushes. He grabbed the orange one and shut the mirrored door. Tapping the head of the brush against Naruto's shoulder, he pulled their lips apart.

"Your spit's disgusting," he teased, waving the cleaning tool in front of his whiskered face.

Naruto scoffed, grabbing it from him. "Hmm... And yours is just winter-mountain-fresh!!" he exclaimed dramatically.

"Don't be sarcastic," Sasuke said, stealing his bottom lip between his teeth. He felt Naruto shudder below him as he sucked on it. Letting go he said, "I'll get you an outfit. Brush your teeth so I can get in the shower when I'm done."

Naruto got the feeling that he was asked to join him since Sasuke pulled down two new towels on his way out. He wasn't too sure he'd be able to ignore that invitation with the way the morning was going. At the moment anyway. As soon as Sasuke left, he pulled a coment about Naruto having more dangerous mood swings than he did.

"Excuse me?" the blonde asked from around his tooth brush.

Sasuke stepped in, shutting the door, and sat a pile of clothes on the back of the toilet and another set on the seat. Reaching to turn on the water in the shower, he said, "You were pissed at the world when I came in. And then what happened? You melted into horny mush."

That earned him a bit of used toothpaste spat in his hair. Which he didn't mind because, he had to wash it anyway. Though, it was disgusting and disgruntled him a bit.

"It's your fault it happened," Naruto mumbled, a fair rose staining his cheeks while he finished brushing.

"Sure, blame it on Sasuke," the brunette said, testing the water while he wrapped a towel around his waist; before dropping his shorts. "Everything's just his fault, isn't it?"

"...Are you referring to yourself in third person??"

"What of it?" Sasuke saw Naruto roll his eyes in the mirror.

"Nothing," he said. He rinsed his mouth and put his toothbrush back in the cup in the medicine cabinet. He looked at the clothes on the toilet and gawked. Picking up the underpants on one pile, he held them in the air.

"Are you shocked, or what?" Sasuke asked, still waiting for his water to get hot.

"...These are my size."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "No shit, Sherlock."

"Why do you have underwear in my size?"

"What the _hell_ kind of question is that?" His water was hot enough, so Sasuke stepped into the shower from the back and folded his towel of the top of the door. "I have underwear in your size so that you can _wear _them, dumbass."

"...And they're... normal." He heard Sasuke suck his teeth from under the water, and he was sure that he rolled his eyes again.

"Would you rather go around wearing a G-string? I'll gladly buy one of those next time." He gasped at a fake revelation. "Maybe it'll even be leather!!"

"You're a real ass," Naruto clucked, putting the boxers down again.

"Yeah? That's good news. At least you aren't calling me a dick anymore."

"Where'd the sudden sense of humor come from?"

Sasuke opened the door to the shower and leaned out the top half of his torso to speak to Naruto directly. "I had an epiphany last night while I was eating."

"Go on," Naruto urged, stepping back a bit so that Sasuke's soaking hair didn't drench him. It didn't do much good since he just leaned out further.

"See, I was stuck on why the hell I let Hyuuga kiss me. My brain said that I wanted to." He frowned and gave the blonde puppy dog eyes. "I was pretty sure that was a bad thing... So I went on to think why I wanted to. Same brain said that I'm just like him."

"...Was it wrong?"

"Very wrong," Sasuke said nodding. "I don't think it's mine anymore..." He brooded for a minute before pulling back into the shower and shutting the door. "So I decided that I'd try out being NSU instead."

"... The STI??"

"Oh... my god. No, idiot," Sasuke laughed from behind the glass. Naruto opened the door from the back like Sasuke, so they didn't soak the floor more than it was. He sent the pale teen a scathing look.

Sasuke sent him one right back. "If I'm not mistaken, N.S.U. are your initials."

Naruto pulled a 'duh' face and scowled at the showerhead. He noticed, once his eyes were trying to look that way, that the moisture in the air made his hair cling to his forehead. It was actually a bit itchy. He pushed it out of the way to lessen the irritation.

"So you're basically telling me that I act like a spastic idiot?"

"Am I wrong?" Sasuke absolutely relished in the pissed look he got for that one. Settling down again, he reached for the door and slid it shut, making sure to push Naruto out of course.

He was astonished. "Did you really just send me... away??"

"Well... You can undress and get in at the cost of washing my back, or you can leave the room and wait your turn. I don't want to hear you whining later because your shirt got ruined."

"It's already ruined," Naruto mumbled. He was pretty sure that Sasuke hadn't heard him. Leaning up against the wall, he thought about it. He could wait, but then Sasuke, being on his new personality trip and all, could do something and possibly rig something up to kill him. Then again, he could get in the shower with him... As scandalous as that was, it sounded a hell of a lot safer...

"Are you going to stand on the wall, or get in?" the brunette asked, coming out of the shower again. This time, the hair that was plastered to his head had a white, filmy glaze of shampoo.

Naruto sighed in defeat. Gripping the edges of his shirt, he pulled it up over his head. He was lost on how to take off the bandaging. Sasuke opted to help, only making him feel stupid because a tiny clip just had to be removed. After it was, the binding pretty much loosened itself and fell off.

He went to take off the lacy panties, but Sasuke grabbed his wrist and yanked him inside first. His back met the wet wall of the shower, and the other occupant covered his body with his own taller one. Sasuke entwined their fingers and drove his hands up the wall, keeping them in place.

"What the hell... You've got a new kink now too?"

"It's not a kink," Sasuke countered, attacking the pouting bottom lip again. Keeping it between his teeth he said, "I'm no deviant... Now stay still." He tore his mouth away from the soft appendage and attached to the spot under Naruto's jaw where he knew the vein throbbed. Naruto did his best to muffle a moan as he turned his head for Sasuke to access it easier.

"Bastard," he grumbled when his neck was set free. "That makes two."

"But you love me for it."

"Since when?"

"Hm..." Sasuke looked up at the ceiling, feigning to think on the subject. As he did so, he moved his hands down Naruto's arms and over his chest. They kept sliding until they met the waistband of the pink and black underpants he hadn't been allowed to remove. "You're right," he said with an overstretched sigh. Tugging at the frail garment, he said, "You don't love me... But you still think I'm irresistible."

"Sure," Naruto scoffed. "Especially when I find out that you've changed into a totally different person overnight."

"Shut up. You like it."

"Tch..." A thought began to flit across Naruto's mind, something very important that he could only stress on in the shower, but it was quickly chased away when Sasuke's thumbs hooked into the top of his panties. "Hey!!" he cried.

"What? You're in the shower, aren't you?"

Naruto grabbed the hands at his hips and pried them off. "Yes, but while you're in here, they stay on. Damn lecher..."

"Fine..." Sasuke looked a bit deflated, but he perked up a few moments later. "Guess what?" he asked with a smirk that could only mean bad things.

"...What."

"You agreed to wash my back the moment you walked in here." Naruto groaned, but Sasuke kept going. "And, I get to see how long your hair really is."

"...Why the hell is that?"

Tangling his fingers in the wilting, yellow mess, Sasuke put their foreheads together. "You're gonna let me wash and condition it."

It really was the oddest shower Naruto had ever taken. For one, he couldn't even get naked to wash until Sasuke had left due to constant groping. It wasn't that he didn't like it, never that; but he wasn't too happy about being pressed into the tiles every two minutes, and eager, wandering hands feeling over the small bit of him that was clothed wasn't a picnic in the park either. Especially while that person was relentlessly trying to leave kiss marks all over his upper half.

Another reason; the brunette had insisted on washing his hair and using his 'super-frizz-control-straighten-while-you-dry' conditioner. That left his normally easily spiked mess in a flat collection of yellow-ness that hung down passed his shoulders.

And, when he finally got out and rejoined Sasuke in the room, he smelled like baby powder. Not exactly something he liked since he smelled it enough when Sasuke abused him.

Sasuke looked up from making his bed and looked on in awe. "You're so pretty... Why the hell do you knot up your hair like that??"

Naruto shot him a look that said die and gathered up his clothes from the other day, stuffing them into his hidden overnight bag. When he was done, he flopped onto the just made bed, tugging up one of the sheets in the process, and pushed Sasuke away with his foot. "I don't like the way you smell, you know. Why the hell would you make me carry infant-scent too?"

"I know," the brunette sighed. "You smell much more enticing with your own crap. But you do need to bathe."

"Right, right..." Naruto sat up, his hair rocking with the movement to hit in the face. "Your gel sucks, Sasuke."

"It does not," the raven pouted. He placed a hand on his head and patted the backward-running spikes. "You're blondeness is just way too long."

"Another thing!!" Naruto grabbed at the locks rolling over his shoulder. "What the hell is this?! My hair is pristine..."

"So put it in a ponytail," Sasuke suggested, finally fixing the sheet. He threw some of the pillows back and then collapsed into them.

"I look enough like a girl as is," the blonde whined, bouncing and smacking the mattress as he did. The pout came automatically since his lip was still somewhat swollen thanks to its previous attacks.

"It doesn't look bad," Sasuke encouraged. He left his spot on the bed to push Naruto back against it and sprawl out on top of him. "You could do the emo look, and it would come off preppy. It works for you."

"...I like the spikes," Naruto fussed. "I feel naked without them."

"Yeah?" Sasuke sat up to straddle the tiny waist and reached into he pocket. He pulled out a silver chain. Dangling it over Naruto so that the pendant on the end swung just above his nose he said, "I used to feel naked without this. Now, it stays in my pocket."

"... That's right!!" Naruto swiped at the piece of jewelry and studied it. "Tachi gave you this right after the graduation, didn't he? The one from fifth grade? ...I haven't seen it in days..."

Sasuke nodded, taking it back. He stuffed it in his pocket again and, instead of sitting, he propped himself up by placing his elbows on either side of Naruto's head.

"You noticed? I stopped wearing it. I think you can lose the spikes for one day."

"Alright," Naruto sighed. "Just so that I'm not outdone by you though. That's the only reason."

"As long as it keeps you from whining." He rolled off of Naruto and kept going until he reached the pillows again. "You should call Neji. Wake his lazy ass up."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. Getting up from the bed, he skipped over to the dresser with the big mirror on it. He stole Sasuke's hairbrush and started working his bangs into a sideswipe that started at his temple. "I already did."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He said he was stopping to pick up someone to help him, so I don't have to be there until... twelve I think." He achieved the look he was going for, so Naruto worked on smoothing out the back. If it was going to be straight, it might as well be done right.

"You mean... an assistant?"

"Yes..." Naruto put the brush back in its place and stared at himself. It wasn't that bad... Once you got passed the idea that a girl was trying to wear her hair like her surfer boyfriend. An atypical idea struck him when he thought of that. He made his way to his bag by the computer and started digging inside.

"...What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, still lying in the pillows.

Naruto pulled out a small container of cover-up. Apparently, Hinata gave in and bought him his own. He brandished it with dignity.

"... You're hiding your hickeys??"

"Nope!!" He skipped back to the mirror and screwed the cap off of the tiny jar.

"...You aren't?" Sasuke pushed off the bed and stood next to the blonde at his dresser. "What are you doing then?"

"I'm about to turn into your girlfriend from another school."

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but it shut itself. Again, he tried, but with the same result. The sentences just wouldn't form on his tongue. He settled for a simple, numb minded, "What?"

Naruto blew him a razz, shooting spittle at him. "I want to see what happens. People already think I'm just some random trick you carry around."

"They do not," Sasuke said, furrowing his brow.

Naruto paused in his application and sent him a doubtful look in the mirror. When Sasuke gave in, he went on hiding his distinctive scars. "Done!!" he said, placing the top back on the small glass jar. He gazed in the mirror awed. "I look like a different person..."

"You look like a woman..."

Naruto scrunched his face trying to distinguish if that was true. He must have decided not because he soon retreated to his bag again and pulled out a tiny make-up kit.

"Why do you carry one of those _around_?" Sasuke inquired, gaping at the thing as it was set on his dresser. For some reason, it offended him.

"I don't know really... You should try it though. At least a little blush so you don't always look dead."

"I don't look dead."

"Alright," Naruto said, putting his hands up in surrender. He before he started adding the make-up to his face, he said, "It's a good thing I leave this bag here, isn't it?"

"So you can get gussied up?"

"Of course!!"

Sasuke gagged theatrically before leaving Naruto be with his reds and blues. He had just flopped on the mattress, and Naruto had just put the shadow to his eyes when an annoying buzz startled them both. Angry with the sound, Naruto turned to look at whatever it was.

"The intercom says 'door,'" he offered, throwing a mascara on his lashes.

Sasuke groaned from his bed. "Go answer it then."

"Why do I have to?"

"Because I'm a prince, and everyone must do my bidding when they're in this house." Rolling over he added, "You always answer it for me anyway. You've got a little speech and everything." He was glad that Naruto actually gave up after that and disappeared out the door. He was muttering to himself as he applied a blush all the while.

Naruto had finished with his rosy tinting just as he reached the end of the staircase. He dropped the plastic case in his pocket and pulled out something else. He spread the sticky glitter on his fingers before dusting it over himself lightly. He tossed the tiny tube back in his pocket as well to answer the door.

Not bothering to look at who it was, he focused on the car down at the gates. "Hello and good morning. You've successfully lived through the trek up the Uchiha driveway. The great Prince Sasuke's room was buzzed, and I was sent to guide you. Will you follow me?"

"... And you are?"

Naruto looked at who was at the door, and a stupor clouded his brain. It was Neji. And he looked confused. Naruto decided to take great advantage of that.

Smiling, he said, "Do you want to see my boyfriend, or what, hun?"

"... Uh... Boyfriend?" Neji repeated. He obviously didn't believe what he heard.

Naruto just nodded, stepping back to hold the door open wider. Neji saw the attire the blonde was in then.

"Are those his clothes??"

"Mm-hm!!" Naruto was quick to usher the confused teen inside and shut the door. Beginning the walk upstairs, he said, "I stayed over last night very impromptu... So I had to borrow his."

The brunette just nodded from behind the girl leading him to Sasuke's room. Did he lose his mind? Wasn't Sasuke gay? Didn't he have his own boyfriend? Shaking his head clear, he noticed that they'd made it already. The mystery girl knew her way around the place too. That wasn't good...

"It's your cousin," the blonde announced, rushing into the room. He nearly tripped over a pile of clothes that he'd made earlier, but was quick to recover. Naruto retreated to the computer to check his E-mail. Neji took that opportunity to speak with Sasuke discretely.

"Sasuke... what the hell?" he whispered next to the raven on the bed.

"What? The room?" Sasuke sat up and shook his head, laughing a bit. "Sorry. That yellow spot over there threw a fit. Ran around tearing the place apart in pink panties that said 'Sexy'. Over clothes!!"

"But Sasuke... are you really that thing's...?"

"...Boyfriend?" He waited for Neji to nod. "Yes, I am."

"I thought you were a one-lover man?" the older brunette mocked, repeating Sasuke from the day before.

"I am," the younger teen said, frowning. "That's Naruto." The Hyuuga clearly looked doubtful so Sasuke asked, "What?"

"Doesn't he have the... uhm..." He settled for lining up three fingers on either side of his face.

"... Whiskers?"

Neji nodded, looking a bit more colorful than his usual paleness.

"You can say whiskers, Nej. I know how they got there and still call them that."

"Fine, whiskers then," Neji said in defeat. "Where are they?"

"Under the make-up. Now what do you want?"

Neji coughed into his hand, getting rid of his prior fluster. "I seriously think that I'll need someone to help me. Naruto seems a bit... rambunctious."

"Hmm..." Sasuke thought about it, twiddling with the hem of his shirt as he did so. He could either stay home and be tutored to make up for yesterday, or he could leave and watch a lovely little blonde learn how to do flips. That had to be a tough decision.

"Hey, Ru," he called.

"'Suke??"

"Do you mind if I come with you guys?"

"No," the blonde said, signing out of his Hotmail and logging out of the PC. He turned in his chair to send a dazzling love-me-now look. "I would absolutely cherish the time you spend watching us."

"There you go. I'll come."

Neji looked between the other two boys before shaking his head and stating a firm, "No way. Not like that."

"Like what?" Naruto asked from the chair.

"Looking like that," the sophomore said, "he'll most likely just eyeball you the entire time."

"I think not," the pair of lovers said at the same time.

"Why's that?"

"I look like a woman," Naruto said rather pleased with himself. "Sasuke's _gay_ remember??"

"...You say it with such disdain, like you aren't," Neji observed.

Naruto frowned. "I'm not. I'm only dating a guy. I don't like men."

Neji looked like he was about to put up another argument, but Sasuke stopped him. "Let it be," he said, raising a hand. "Don't talk him out of his own loop. Then I'm left Ru-less."

"You can get another one..."

"That's mean!!"

Neji had to take a second to shake his eardrums back to life after the two of them had shouted. With the soundproofing and all, it had reverberated throughout the room, bouncing back and hitting him again. The ringing stopped after the third round, but Sasuke opted to keep talking his ear off.

"The hell is your problem, Hyuuga?? There's a _reason_ I'm dating him, you know!!"

"Yeah!!" Naruto interjected. "I, at least, can understand where he's coming from most of the time!!"

"And he doesn't care about my bad habits and rude tendencies. Uzumaki's perfect."

"Damn straight," Naruto added with a curt nod to finalize the barrage of words. "And I'm a wonderful thing to look at when the other things don't satisfy."

"And he's a lot better to hold than you are, stoic prick." Sasuke nudged Neji on the shoulder to make sure he was still alive before continuing in his rant. "He doesn't have annoying muscles that hinder embrace."

"...I am?"

"And it makes me feel unimaginably secure to know that I can just grab him, and he'll melt to conform with me."

"...It does?"

"Moreover..." Sasuke went on. Something about the way he said it made Naruto think that the intimate compliments were going to stop. He was right. "... I give him best honers for being fun to squeeze. Putting the lovey-dovey aside, it's the best grabbing his love handles."

Neji looked stunned, and Naruto just looked like a pissed princess.

"Really," Sasuke went on, dropping his defensive exterior. He grabbed Neji around the shoulders and whispered in his ear. "I think it's his weak spot actually. I did it today, and I swear he _mewed _like holy hell." He took in a breath dramatically. "It was even my name!!"

"Dick!!" Naruto cried, throwing whatever was left on the computer desk at the Uchiha on the bed. "Can't go around saying things like that!!"

"I'm not going around," Sasuke reasoned. "He's right next to me. And he already knows about it."

"Regardless," Naruto snarled through his painted lips. Sasuke noticed that the banter they had was slipping away and hostility was coming in to take its place.

"Alright, let's leave..." Sasuke hopped off of the bed, dragging Neji with him. "Hyuuga, send your driver, we're taking my car. End of story."

"...Okay..." Neji pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a quick message through to the chauffeur. "Can we leave?"

"Yeah. Come on, Umakazi," Sasuke said, gesturing over to Naruto. When he got a confused look he said, "I refuse to soil my memory of you by linking that face and your name."

Naruto rolled his eyes and followed the older boys out to the car. For once, it wasn't the Lexus. They piled into the silver Volvo, Neji in the back and Naruto claiming the front seat. The ride to the rec center was filled with idiotic chatter, music, and howling from guys in other cars. After a while, Sasuke just rolled up the windows.

* * *

mmmm... randomness toward the end, but it was kind of necessary. i needed it for when they finally get there, you know?? ..I'm talking about the whole dress-up like a girl thing... There was more to this but... it was getting too long, and sounding like crap cuz it was rushed cuz.. I'm tired 


	28. Sasuke feels

first things first... I've never really had to do this before but...

I'M SO SORRY!!! ((sob, sob)) Honestly, I've been so backed up lately, it's not even funny anymore. As I'm doing... this, I'm working on Fiance, Sk8 Right, and two new ones because... I have a problem like that!! Just... okay, you won't be seeing them till this is done anyway...((I like one of them a lot; they're actually ninjas!! ... the other one takes place during a very tragic time period...)) again... so sorry for the wait because of... that

Now that that is over...

Brooklyn, what is going on?? I forgot how this thing even GOES anymore... You need a refresher don't you?? If you do... just tell me. I'm on limited time at the library, sooooo...

I tried to keep the ending on Sasuke to stick with the title... as I'm sure you'll notice. Tell me, did I do good??

Hope you likes it!! I'm workin' on the video that they watch in Fiance now!! buh-byez!!

((Italics are flashback-ed-ness btw))

* * *

"...So I have to use this other person as a spur... right?"

Neji sighed from his spot behind Naruto. Teaching him was something that he just wasn't cut out for. He'd explained pushing off of the person holding him captive about five times already, and the idiot still hadn't gotten it. Regardless, he was still going to try.

"Yes," the older boy said from behind him. He let go of Naruto and ran a hand through the length of his hair. "You need to thrust off of the person holding you so that you kick the wall with some kind of force. Okay?"

"... I think... I think I got it!!" Naruto turned around from facing the wall in a blur, smacking Neji hard across the face with his yellow pony-tail. "So that you have something behind you to propel yourself, you need to bounce off of whoever has you trapped and rebound from the wall, right, Neji?"

Neji just took a second to look away and re-collect himself. He pushed up the headband he was wearing as a lovely substitute dam for his bangs. "That's right," he said, returning his lifeless gaze finally. "You use the other person so that you can make it up the wall."

"Alright!!" Naruto jumped, much like the girl everyone assumed him to be at the moment, and came back down with his hands on Neji's shoulders. Looking him in the eye, he said, "I understand how to do it... can we practice it now?"

When Neji nodded, he reached for the sky again. Neji just leaned against the nearby wall and waited. Resting his head against the cool cinder block, he thought about what Gaara had said to him over the phone the day before. He had to admit, it was an odd conversation. So, not to confuse himself with the present, Neji set himself into a light doze where he was still aware of his surroundings. But a daydream was still a daydream...

_It had been early when his phone rang from next to him. Why he'd left it on overnight, he didn't know. What was worse was that someone was actually calling him at seven-thirty in the morning. On a Saturday. His sleep-in-at-last day. Neji was pissed when he rolled over and picked up the tiny cell. _

_He'd put it on his ear and covered his head with the huge blanket on his bed._

_"Mochi moch..."_

_"Mochi--? Dammit. Wake up, Hyuuga!!"_

_It had taken Neji a few seconds to register the voice on the other end of the line. When at last it had hit him, he was just a tad over irate._

_"Just because you don't sleep, Subakuno, it doesn't mean you can call other people at the first sign of dawn."_

_Gaara sighed from the other end before countering. "It's been daylight for well over an hour or so, Hyuuga. Besides, any later and Kank' would be listening in."_

_The brunette just let out a ragged sigh from under his fluffy comforter. "Don't... get on me then... if... I..." He stopped to pull the phone away and yawn. "Don't get on me if I fall asleep."_

_"All you have to do is listen, Hyuuga. It really shouldn't be that hard," Gaara added sounding rather pissed. Of course Neji didn't notice since he was only half awake._

_"Speak, you insomniac freak," he droned into the cell. "I'm nodding off already."_

_He was pretty sure Gaara rolled his eyes on the other end, but that was nothing to stress over. It meant he liked you if he could get annoyed without killing you on the spot._

_"Alright, look." There was a rustle as the redhead situated himself on his bed. "Apparently, they're somewhat involved and--"_

_"Who's involved now??"_

_"Uzumaki and Uchiha," Gaara stressed, impatience tightening his voice._

_"Right, right. Go on..."_

_"You're an idiot, Hyuuga... Putting that aside though, you know that there's no 'intimate activity' allowed on the trip."_

_Neji took a second to slip into some sort of half __concious__ state before giving a response. "Yeah... what about it though??"_

_"Anyone caught is punished and then revealed to everyone present. It's always been like that."_

_Neji, pitiful though it was, was tired, barely roused, and couldn't make himself understand. "...What?"_

_"They don't want people to know, Hyuuga."_

_"...Uh-huh..."_

_"If people ask about it, then Uchiha is most definately going to deny having any kind of relation with him."_

_Neji nodded as if Gaara could see him. "Right, right..."_

_"Naruto won't stand for some kind of shit like that, so he'll ask if he really means it. Uchiha will say yes, and he's disbanded from him forever."_

_Even without the influence of being only half alive in the morning, the plan came off a bit farfetched to Neji. "That sounds absolutely difficult, Gaara."_

_"One, we aren't on first name basis. Two, I don't hear you coming up with something better."_

_Neji yawned again, not bothering to pull the phone away this time. He rolled over to get more comfortable before giving a retort, if you could call it that. "One, Su-ba-ku-no is too long for the morning. Two, you told me to just listen. I'm not allowed to give imput."_

_"Okay," Gaara said, annoyance clearly peppering his tone. "You can get away with that when it's early. And... give me a better idea if you can think of one."_

_"Listen to this then," the brunette said around yet another yawn. "How about we force them apart instead? Blackmail if you will."_

_"I see..." Gaara seemed to plunge into deep thought while he mulled over the subject. "That would be much more heart-wrenching... And it'll no doubt depress them both... And it would look like one of them actually wanted it over... That's brilliant Hyuuga."_

_"That's so... so..." Neji shook his head from under the covers as he started to wake up a little. Even while he was a ditzy, the things Gaara had said, and the way he had said them, sounded as if he really did want to cause the other two boys utter heartbreak. "You're just such a sadist, Subakuno. Are you really planning on putting him through that? I thought you like... loved the guy??"_

_"You're mistaken, Hyuuga."_

_"...Really?" Neji asked, doubt evident in his tone._

_"Really." The only thing the brunette heard was the finality in Gaara's voice before he disconnected the call. Then he fell back asleep until Sasuke showed up and collapsed onto the bed next to him._

"...and it should work, right??"

Neji shook himself back to the present and looked around trying to place himself again. He could've sworn he'd heard Naruto, but he didn't see him.

"Yeah. Since you lack the obvious muscle mass to do it on your own, kicking from there should give you a decent boost."

And that was Sasuke. Why couldn't Neji find them if they sounded that close?

"Hey, Neji, what do you think??" Naruto asked. "Is he right?"

There was a tug on his pants, so, naturally, Neji looked down. So Sasuke and Naruto had settled themselves about his feet and had went on with the lesson there.

"Is he right about what?" the oldest asked, squatting down so that he was level with them. He looked to where Naruto pointed and found a rather crude drawing of what looked like two turtles and a line.

"... Is this a person?" he asked, pointing at the picture himself. The other boys nodded. "And this is a wall?" They nodded again. "...This one is kicking this one, right?"

"Yea... Sasuke drew it," Naruto offered. "He's not so good at that... But what do you think, does it make sense to you?"

Neji nodded, much to Naruto's enjoyment because it made his hair rock to sit in front of him.

"You get too happy when that happens," Sasuke commented from his spot across from the blonde.

"But it makes me happy," Naruto whined. "His hair is so pretty when it's out, Sasuke!!"

"I think you might be the one needing psychiatric help, Blondie."

Naruto shot Sasuke a face that was meant to carry the message: "I hate you so go die." Instead, it looked something like: "Why can't I have the blue one, Daddy??" So he couldn't help but laugh. Unfortunately, that didn't help Naruto's angry position at all.

"Ass," was all he offered to the laughing boy. Turning back to Neji, he dropped out of his miffed state. "So... think you can show me one more time before I try it out myself, Neji?"

"Think you can convince your boyfriend to help me out?"

"Well... Yeah." Naruto let the last bit of resentment that he held for Sasuke dribble away when he turned to give him pleading eyes and a sunny smile. "You'll help him, right, 'Suke?"

Sasuke took a few seconds to look at the boy in front of him with complete loathing. "Because of that, no."

"Because I made a pretty face??" Naruto gawked.

"Because you made a pretty face." Sasuke made sure to turn the other way before standing. "It's not a normal thing for me; you dressing up like a girl _and_ acting like it."

"So?" Naruto asked, getting to his feet as well.

"Act normal; I beseech you," his counterpart implored. "There's a reason I say I love you, Ru. Being like this isn't it."

"Ooh... you're throwing a discrete fit, aren't you?" Neji asked from beside him. "Why didn't you just say that when he started doing it? Talking always works for me."

"And you're two different people," Sasuke spat. "Besides, his peculiarity is far off from yours, Nej."

Neji just made a noise and waved it off. "Doesn't change anything. Acting like that is just going to confuse the kid. Tell him how you feel sometime. It might get you somewhere."

Sasuke scowled at him from the shelter of his bangs. However, it didn't serve as well as he thought it would. Neji caught the evil leer that was being shot toward him and offered his confrontation.

"Sasuke... don't start with this shit now, please."

The grimace was just intensified.

"Honestly, Uchiha, I can kick your ass up and down this rec center." The older of the two folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against his previous wall. "I'm one of the few that can, too; I have no problem flaunting it."

"Are you... challenging me??" Sasuke asked in blatant shock. "I think I might actaully go for it this time, Hyuuga."

"...Because I haven't seen anything new you've come up with recently, right?" Neji scoffed before looking down the rec to another area where two girls were twirling on the balance beams. "I'll hand it right to you, Sasuke."

While those two continued to bicker on and on, Naruto grew rather bored; as he usually did. He sat down again and pulled his knees up to rest his chin against them. Getting himself comfortable, he decided that he'd get in some idle chit-chat. It had been a while after all. He was starting to miss his subconcious friends.

_Who's up?_ he asked within the confines of his mind. He waited for an answer. But, he didn't get one until just before he was ready to give up.

_**What's wrong, Kid?**_ Kityasha asked once he'd made passed the barrier of Naruto's psyche. It'd been getting in the way a lot lately; like he and Nikko weren't called upon as often as they used to be.

_Boredom,_ was Naruto's answer. _I came here to learn something, and now I have to watch these two duke it out._

_**Is that a bad thing?**_ Kit asked. _**You've never seen it before, so you should want to. **_

_Why?_

_**Sounds like something to cure your boredom, Kid.**_

Naruto wasn't so surprised when the other voice in his head broke in. _**And you'd probably learn something worth while, Hun.**_

_Like?_

_**How to throw a decent punch,**_ Kit teased.

_That was rather rude..._

_**He's a brute, isn't he??**_ Nikko asked. Naruto couldn't help but get the idea that they were something like he and Sasuke were. _**But look, they're starting. Are you gonna watch it?**_

_...Got nothing better to do but flirt._

_**And there's no one here...**_ Kityasha actually sounded a bit like there was a brood in his tone. _**It's been so long since we've done any of that...**_

Naruto couldn't help but giggle under his breath. It almost killed him at how depressed the man seemed at the lack of seuction nowadays. _You'll live, lecher. _

_**Damn proud to be one too.**_

Naruto giggled again. _Alright, go. I'll watch._ He got his good-byes and turned off his little connection. And was shocked when he was rammed from the side. Dropping his _Scream _face, he turned to look at whoever it was.

"...Great job, Sasuke," he said, pushing the older boy off. Apparently, he'd been knocked down and slid across the floor. He shouted something before bounding from his spot and lunging at Neji. That one was next to collide into Naruto; except this time it was from the front. Sasuke had thrown him, and he landed ontop of Naruto, knocking his head aginst the cinderblock. He yelped, and that was just enough to make Sasuke mad.

Even though it was his fault, his logic said that Naruto wouldn't have been hurt if Neji hadn't started an argument. And now, he had to apprehend his lovely ex for it. So, Sasuke preceeded to drag him off of Naruto, and they got into it again.

Naruto just watched the flurries of fists and sequences of kicks that both boys delivered and dodged expertly. A miss led to an opening, and an opening led to another miss. It was a never ending cycle of exquisitely executed attacks, though they didn't make much contact. And he was somehow drawn into it. Maybe it was the way their feet moved that gave the appearance of a well practiced dance. Or maybe it was how precise they were in every movement and the subtle flow of energy that they seemed to emanate. Whatever it was, Naruto just couldn't take his eyes off of them. And maybe that was why he missed it when someone came and sat by him.

"Are you daydreaming, or is this what normally happens when you see two people trying to beat the shit out of each other?"

Naruto couldn't help but jump. He hadn't noticed him walk in, and totally blocked out anything that warned him of Itachi's presence. A presence of which should not have even been in existance at the moment.

"You can't be here!!" the blonde cried, grabbing the older man by the shoulders. "What if someone sees you?!"

"...What if..." Itachi repeated, hating the phrase with every ending he could think of that went with it: What if he'd said no? What if he faught to keep Sasuke home-schooled? What if he hadn't left in the first place?

He shook his head clear of the disturbing thoughts and continued his conversation with his little blonde friend. "I pull the same stunt every time I come here, Naruto."

"And what's that, Tachi?"

He dislodged himself from Naruto's grasp before going on. "I let out my hair. That easily throws people off. Then I put on cover-up. It hides a few distinguishing features."

"You mean your bags??" Naruto teased.

"They aren't," Itachi scolded, pushing Naruto away a bit. "And yes, I mean those... And contacts do a nice job at getting rid of those Uchiha eyes, you know."

"You mean the black ice?"

Itachi almost smiled at that one. "Yes, I mean that. Now tell me; why are you here? I know it isn't to watch this." He gestured to his two relatives and rolled his wrist to prompt an answer.

"They were teaching me how to do this flip slash shove slash sweep kick thing." Naruto blew at the hair that had fallen in his eyes. He failed and let his hair out to pull it all back. "Then they started that because... Neji felt like getting snarky."

"How lovely." Itachi watched the two sparring boys go on for a while before confronting Naruto with another question. "Tell me, why the get up?"

"..." Being Naruto, it took him a bit more than a while to get the question. He obviously forgot that he'd made himself up like a girl. And wore his hair like a girl. And had been acting like a girl. That might have been because someone had come up to him knowing who he was, but it was still unexcusable.

"I mean the femininity."

"Oh. Just because," the blonde said rather off-handedly. "I wanted to see what woud happen was all."

"Great," Itachi sighed. "My little brother is going to look like a pimp when I drag him out of here."

"...You plan on taking us somewhere?"

"Well, I wasn't," the older man admitted. "But, seeing how I found you both so conveniently here, I figure it's the best time to get this thing done and over with."

"...That thing is?"

"Your branding, hun."

Naruto cringed. He'd actaully forgotten about that. And it sucked to be reminded so bluntly. "Now?" he asked rather feebly.

"Well... when we get home, but yes. Now."

"But you see..." He stumbled around in his mind for an excuse. "The same day I said that I would wait, I told you that I'd be even more scared to do it if we did." Naruto rubbed at the goosebumps under his sleeve when they threatened to show through the material. "I really don't want to do this thing now..."

"Too bad." Itachi caught the look of distraught hurt on Naruto's face, and he couldn't help himself but to chuckle. That seemed to make the younger boy deflate even more, so he settled on a resolve. Taking Naruto's face in his hands, Itachi gave him a quick peck on the lips. Still holding his face he said, "You'll be fine."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Sasuke will be there," the older man reasoned.

"So?"

"I'll be there," the Uchiha tried again. "Doesn't that mean anything? Besides, I'll be doing it."

"... I guess that works," Naruto mumbled.

"You're damn right it works. Now, hold this so I can go get my idiot relative."

"Fine," Naruto sighed, grabbing the gym-bag offered to him. He stood up, adjusting the thing on his shoulder. When he was situated, he made his way to the door out and waited for Itachi to grab the youngest brunette of the three. He wasn't too surprised when Sasuke looked appaled as some deep-voiced, green-eyed woman tried to drag him off. He was surprised, however, when Itachi slapped his younger brother across the face and called him a base idiot for not seeing passed appearances. That must've worked because it got him moving.

When they made their way to where Naruto was, Neji was still confused, Sasuke was still pissed, and Itachi was now impassive.

"A question?" Naruto waited until he had everyone's attention. "How are we leaving?"

"Excuse me?" Sasuke asked. Neji was still trying to figure out who the lady was, and 'she' was still looking rather uninterested.

"Well," Naruto went on, "we all came in the Volvo, right? And... he came on the bus, I'm sure. His car would totally have him figured out."

"The bus?" Sasuke turned to his brother in absolute disgust. "You rode the bus?"

"You're boyfriend used to ride the bus every day, Sasuke," Itachi growled. "He even got a pass from a friend of mine. And that one?" He jutted a thumb out to a still dumbfounded Neji. "His ex takes the bus all the time just to avoid dragging his brother along. Don't mock it. It's a wonderful thing. I promise you."

"Sure it is." Sasuke turned up his nose as he began to revert to his spoiled tendencies. "I'd much rather take a compact vehicle than share one with strangers. I'd walk before taking the bus."

"That's all swell and dandy, Narcissus, but get over yourself." Itachi gave his brother a look that could have killed Goliath quicker than stones did.

Neji cleared his throat from behind the two brothers. Being respectfully quiet was something that he did regularly. You just didn't speak to people that you didn't know, and you certainly didn't ask them questions. But it was getting out of hand. Random strangers didn't know things like that unless they were stalking you.

"I beg you not to take this as rude," the pale-eyed boy began, "but who are you? You really shouldn't know those things if I don't know your name."

Itachi hummed a bit as he lapsed into thought. Breaking out of it, he said, "I guess that makes you a base idiot, also, Neji."

"...And you know my name as well?"

"I've got the middle one too, Hizashi."

Neji was quick to turn his attention over to Sasuke. "I'll kill this tranny unless you tell me who it is, you iris-less freak."

"...That was a bit rude, don't you think, Nej?" Sasuke slipped his hands into his pockets before turning his face to the sky. It looked like another springtime rain was going to happen within the next few hours. "And he's not a tranny. He's incognito. I highly doubt he gets a thrill from this sort of thing. Am I right?"

Neji didn't offer time for Itachi to answer his question. Instead, he asked his own. "You think I care? I don't give two shits. If I'm going to be in a car with him, I want to know who this drag queen is."

"How about this," Itachi said, laying a hand to rest on Neji's shoulder. "You can interrogate me without asking any imediately revealing questions. If you don't get it by then..."

"...What?" Neji asked, trying to spur him on.

"Then you just go on living an ignorant life."

"I think I can outwit you with that," Neji said, teeming with confidence. "You're in the back with me then."

"Fine," Itachi said with a shrug. Once everyone had piled in, he added, "Head to the Hyuuga Estate first, Sasuke."

"That's a given, thanks," his younger brother said from the driver's seat. "Shut up or I'll crash it."

Itachi just sent his bored gaze out the window and told Sasuke to drive. As soon as they pulled from the curb, Neji started pouring out questions. He was at a good start too.

"How the hell do you know them?"

Itachi laughed inwardly before answering. "I'm a realative."

"Of both?"

"Of both," the older brunette confirmed.

That honestly caught Neji off gaurd. Naruto and Sasuke just... they weren't related. At all. "...Who do you live with?"

"The little girl up front."

Neji frowned at that bit of intel. "How old are you?"

"How old do I look?"

He frowned again. "Twenty. Now tell me."

"The ID I show everyone says that I'm thirty-seven," Itachi answered with a devilish smirk. Neji had just a tad bit more trouble as the ride wore on. Pretty soon, they were at his house, and he still hadn't narrowed down the mystery person to anyone that he knew. That had him in a rather irked state as they drove off.

After a few blocks, Sasuke struck up enough gumption to ask, "Where am I going?"

"My house, little brother."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't know where that is," Sasuke nearly hissed.

"...I'll drive then," Itachi declared, signaling for Sasuke to stop the car. He did, got out, and climbed into the back. Naruto was glad that someone told him what to do in the uncomfortable situation. Having Itachi say, "You can go back there," was a God-sent. So Naruto sat in the back with Sasuke, and he sang along with the radio to every song he knew. Without that, there wouldn't have been anything to base conversation off of in the car. Itachi didn't speak, and Sasuke wasn't going to give him the opportunity.

Naruto was nothing short of relieved when they finally reached the house. He jumped out and raced inside. He'd finally gotten a key of his own, so the door was no real obstacle. Once he was inside, however, he bolted and locked the door. There was no such thing as a skeleton key in that home either.

Itachi was quick, but he wasn't quick enough to notice that he'd been swiped of his own keys and locked out. It only dawned on him when he made to open he door. He drew up all the patience he had not to scream.

"Naruto," he said as evenly as his tension would allow. "Open the door, hun."

"There's no way in hell," Naruto called back from inside. "I don't want to do this now. I'm sure you didn't want yours done either!!"

"I was fifteen too, Naruto," Itachi sighed from outside. "You just have to get over it and get it done. I've been holding Snake-bastard off since March, hun. I don't think he'll let me stall it any longer."

"Then you'll stay outside!!" the blonde shouted from the safety of the house.

Sasuke snorted in annoyed anger in unison with his brother. "Don't be irrational, Ru," he ordered through the door.

"Step off teme," Naruto warned. "You don't know jack-shit about this little bit of my life. Stay away from it."

"That's a real nice thing to say," the younger brunette countered. "Considering how much I tell your sorry little ass, I'd at least think I can know a bit about working the corner."

There was just a short pause. Soon after it ended, the passersby saw a blonde girl bolt out of the house and tackle Sasuke to the ground. She was shouting about not being a sleaze like he made it sound. A few seconds after the rant had ended, they saw their weird, transsexual neighbor grab the girl around the waist and pin her arms to her sides. It didn't help their suspicions at all when they saw what happened next.

"Can't you just calm down and go along with it?" Itachi begged from behind Naruto. "You're making this really hard on me."

"Let me go!!" the blonde cried. "I said I don't want to!!"

"But that doesn't change anything," Sasuke contradicted. "From what I've gathered, I think you have to."

"He never told me I _needed_ to!!" Naruto retorted. "That was just something I thought up myself. It made sense."

"Well you're doing it," the other freshman said bluntly.

"And I'm making sure it's done right the first time so it won't hurt later."

"No dammit!!"

A rather plump woman walking her toy poodle was the first person to say anything. From the sidewalk, she asked, "Are you alright deary??"

It took Naruto a few seconds to realize that she was talking to him. "Excuse me?"

"I asked if you were… okay," the woman said. "It looked like these two… lovely people were assaulting you."

And he laughed. Sure, he tried to hold it in for about a breath or two, but it still came out. After a bit of sputtering, he was out of Itachi's hold and doubled over. Naruto sighed in well deserved content as he sat on the grass. He waved to the fat lady and said, "I'm fine miss; it's only family problems. Thank you though."

She nodded and continued on her walk. The other watchers relaxed a bit too.

"What was with the guffaw fit?" Sasuke asked, seeing that Naruto still had a smile on under those tears of mirth.

"I think I should do the girl thing more often," he said at last. "Oh, think of all the situations it would get me in and out of with you two…"

"Don't _even_ think about it," Sasuke ordered, sending a half-assed kick at Naruto's side. He just caught the foot and shoved it away.

Dusting his pants off, Naruto stood up and made an attempt to ruffle his hair. No success, much like the rest of the day. He sighed before giving his new caregiver his attention.

"Okay, Tachi," he said still a bit somber. "I guess now's the best time to get this thing done then, isn't it?"

"It is."

"… Inside then." Naruto turned and made a motion for the two brothers to follow him. They did, but they made sure not to make any attempts on pulling him out of his despondent mood. Naruto did have a few issues with people giving him scars after all.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Do you think that, maybe, you could do a better job at holding him still, idiot?"

Sasuke really didn't like the implications he got from that question. Itachi had turned into an A-class prick as soon as they'd gotten Naruto to lie on the bed.

Regardless, he was able to keep his tone a bit less hostile than his brother's. "It proves a bit difficult, but I'm pretty sure I can get him to stop. Any specifics?" he added with a particular accent tossed on a syllable or two.

"Hands, little brother," Itachi said, ignoring the undertone anger in Sasuke's voice. "I'd rather he wasn't scratching at my face while this is going on."

"Pfft…" Sasuke leaned over Naruto and grabbed at his wrists. He pulled them to rest on his thighs and couldn't help but laugh at the odd positioning; Naruto was laid across the bed, half naked, and was whimpering like a puppy before Itachi even got close to touching him. Itachi, of course, was settled on Naruto's waist so that he could make quick work of the job. Though, it was still hard since Naruto was so small compared to him. It wasn't so tricky for the blonde to roll over half way under him. Then there was Sasuke. He was conveniently located above Naruto's head. His only job was to make sure that Naruto didn't kill his evil brother in the process of his branding. A bittersweet situation for the young raven. Even if he did wish death upon that man, not holding on to Naruto would actually hurt him more. How unfair the world was.

"Naruto... don't move," Itachi warned. He grabbed the shaking boy just below the ribs, pushing up under them with his thumb to keep his hold. Naruto winced at the new pressure, and he didn't do much to hold back his cry of surprise. Not that it did much to undignify him; he'd been screeching since they'd got him out of the shower and in the bedroom.

"Tachi," Naruto called, his voice barely above a whisper. He got a curious hum in return. "How bad is it?"

Itachi stopped in his preperations to give Naruto his full, undivided attention. He let the weapon of his choice, a butterknife so that the branding wouldn't stab him as well, clatter down against the table beside him. A sigh escaped him as he decsended down to lay against Naruto's bare stomach. Then he did something that he'd been doing since Naruto had come back around in Akatsuki.

Itachi blew a quick puff of breath into the blonde's face. And he was calmed down almost instantly. Neither one of them really knew where the idea came from, he'd just done it one day when the poor kid was having a panic attack before a show. That day, it smelled like candy.

"That's not an answer," Naruto said in some kind of protest.

"You want the truth?" Itachi asked. He ignored the sinister look he got after that. "I honestly don't remember it,."

"...Don't remember?"

Itachi gave him a cynical smile that said Naruto was not going to like the answer. "I passed out before it was over. You've got to remember that the damned thing is on my neck."

Naruto moaned, feeling tears well up in his eyes again. "It hurts a lot, doesn't it??"

"...I'm not known to lie, am I?"

Naruto wished he still had his pristine hair at that moment. If he did, he could have pulled it over his face to hide the frank terror that ghosted over him. Then, he wouldn't have looked so ghastly as to shock his holders.

"...Hey asswipe," Sasuke called after taking in Naruto's expression. "Is it safe to do that with him like this?"

"It's fine," Itachi said. "I'd be more worried if he wasn't scared."

"You're so sentimental," Sasuke remarked, rolling his eyes. After a sigh of frustration, he said, "Can we do this quickly then? I don't think I'll enjoy watching him writhe in pain, thanks."

"As much as you've caused that yourself?" Itachi asked with an impassive stare.

"You're really working on getting me out of here, aren't you?" Sasuke shook away any desires to otherwise kill his brother before going on. "Just do it so we can be done."

Itachi didn't offer a response after that. He picked up the butterknife that he'd been heating on the same hotplate as the fork from the week before. After running a washcloth, previously set in ice water, over the spot he'd decided to start at, Itachi placed the tip of the dull utensil at Naruto's navel. Apparently, the chilled rag did something to numb the area a bit because there was no real reaction. Until he pressed down anyway.

There was a hiss from the kiss of heat against cool skin, and there was a sharp intake of breath on Naruto's end. When Itachi started to drag the singeing implement in a slow curve, he winced himself. The screech that launched itself from the blonde boy's throat rebounded off of every surface, amplifiying itself until it was able to show just how much pain he was in. But the scorching displeasure wouldn't cease. Even if he wanted to, Itachi couldn't stop; he at least had to finish out the first bend in the spiral. And all the while, Naruto cried, trying to release himself from the torture as best he could. But the agony he was experiencing pushed all of his strength to the job of keeping him conscious.

At last, the metal instrument was removed and put back on the hot plate. Almost instantly after, Itachi had grabbed the washrag from its place by the bed and wrung it out over the fresh burn. Another two hisses belonging to Naruto filled the room: one from his skin, and the other from somewhere in between sobs.

"Be happy," Itachi said from his perch above him. "You're a hella lot feistier than I thought."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!" Naruto demanded, his voice coming out in broken syllables and snatches.

"Well, considering how the first one is the worst, yes." The older man made sure to douse the new wound again before going on. "Mine is very small, Naruto. And I passed out after they put on the first tail."

"...So?" the blonde sniffled.

"So I think you'll be alright through the rest of this."

"But please," Sasuke interjected, "feel free to pass out."

Naruto sent him a confused, hurt look from the mattress. "...Is this not enough torture? Must you degrade me, too?"

Sasuke sucked his teeth before letting go of Naruto's hands to poke him on the cheek. "I didn't mean it like that, moron..."

"Explain it for me then."

"I don't enjoy seeing this, you know," the older teen huffed; the faintest of pinks tinging his cheeks. "It grows tiring rather quickly... watching someone scream like there's no tomorrow. Especially someone as immaculate as you, Ru."

"... I'm shocked, 'Suke."

Sasuke scowled at the blonde under him. "Did the time really call for insolence?"

Naruto shook his head and let out a smile that almost reached his eyes. But through the tears staining his face, he said, "Not at that... I meant what you said. You're not usually a poetic person, Uchiha."

"You bring out the best in everyone." Before Naruto could give a response, though, Sasuke had grabbed hold of his wrists again. Rooting them to the bed he reluctantly said, "But maybe it's time we finish this... don't you think?"

Naruto wanted to cry. So he did. He'd actually forgotten why they were there, but he was instantly reminded of his past pain when his thin wrists were glued to the mattress again. And so did the brothers. The thought of that blood curdling scream and the beautiful tears that followed was enough to make anyone's skin crawl. Especially the ashen skin of two Uchihas who felt so deeply for the ill-destined boy on the bed. But, quite frankly, there was little they could do other than continue.

And as soon as he was touched by the knife again, Naruto let out a howl. The distracting chit-chat that had been brought up was forgotten instantly as every fiber of his being was replaced with some new spawn of pain. The electrical shocks he felt from the brutal tip of the butterknife shot up his abdomen and across his chest, making it rise from the bed. Sasuke did his best to push Naruto back down and hold him there. And he did damn good. Through the rest of that ring, Naruto was rendered helpless in expressing his grief other than infantile cries and intense bawling.

It took the iron will that only Itachi could possess to go through another two of them; they turned out to be the ones that finally drove Naruto passed his wits and into unconciousness. Once his frail body went limp, he collapsed against the mattress, and Sasuke had the tact to pull Naruto's head into his lap.

Itachi sighed outloud and tended to the fresh burns; keeping silent all the while. He took to searing the small boy again, this time not needing to slow or show mercy against his wishes to finish quickly. And though Naruto had stopped moving, he didn't ask Sasuke to leave. Apparently, Itachi was contented to let his younger brother continue to hold the blonde and stroke his forehead. When he was finished, however, Itachi couldn't stay silent any longer.

"I think it's time for you to get home, Little Brother."

Sasuke didn't respond at first, just kept at his petting. At last he did, and he asked, "Is that... okay?"

"...Okay?" Itachi repeated.

"Yes: okay." Sasuke looked down at the now _peacefully_ sleeping boy in his lap. "He won't freak out or anything, will he?"

The older brunette couldn't help but chuckle. "I think he'll be fine, Sasuke. His mental health is pretty far up there if he was able to go so long through that."

"...He won't take it the wrong way?"

"I'll tell him I made you leave then," Itachi reasoned with a shrug. Sasuke sent him a look that clearly said "you are," but it must not have mattered much. All he got was another shrug and a gesture that said to follow Itachi on his way out.

Sasuke was just pulling the door shut when he heard a strained, "Don't." Turning around, he saw that Naruto had managed to prop himself up on the bed and was something relative to conscious.

"Sasuke... don't go, please?"

"...I've got parents at home, Ru." The raven tried to put up a fight, but he failed miserably. Naruto's bleak figure on the bed was enough to make any emo-oppression he planned on using melt away.

"So say you don't want to go home," the blonde managed to mumble. For someone with back-up personas, he sounded oddly incoherent. You'd think that one of them would've taken over the moment he blacked out.

"I can't do that, Ru..."

"Why not?"

He debated on saying it for a millisecond before the words just tumbled out. "One kid already left them. Another one is just overboard, even if they don't care about me."

Naruto sighed a short protest before sinking back to the pillows. "You really do suck," he said, adjusting the rag on his stomach before turning on his side a bit.

Sasuke just hung his head. Why was he having a sudden moralility attack? His parents didn't care, so why should he? It wasn't like him to worry about what they would say if he didn't come back. He'd never really thought about it like he was now. Maybe it was having the cause of his parental issues around that brought out the sudden chivelrous behavior.

A moan escaped him as those thoughts whirled around his cranium. He hadn't ment to, but Sasuke had reached up to his chest and started to rub at an old ache he thought he'd gotten over years ago. That void had been shut off, so he thought, and had never been any trouble. Now, it was threatening to eat him alive. And only two things were able to momentarily fill that void. One of which was most definately unwilling.

"I'll stay," the young brunette said, slinking back into the doorway. He made it to the bed and sat, pulling his mobile from his pocket in the process. He was quick to dial his trusty maid. When the phone picked up, it was a man.

"Is Rosa there?" He got a negative. "Thank you." And then he hung up. Sasuke hated to do it, but he dialed the next number he could think of. It wasn't his father; that man didn't want anything to do with Sasuke. He'd put in the number for his mother's room. When she picked up, that void made itself known again.

"Mother?" he called, still trying to rub away the ache like it was just some stubborn grass stain. Grass stains were easier to get rid of.

"Who's this?"

"It's Sasuke, Mother."

"Oh." He couldn't help but think that there was an air of disappointment in her tone. That ache felt like a hole now. "Well, what is it Sasuke? I have a very important meeting to get ready for, and I need to leave in a few minutes."

The degrading tone she used made him feel like a child all over again. Only this time, there wasn't someone around to tell him that he wasn't worthless like his parents thought. He was off somewhere in the house, and Naruto was out cold.

"I was just calling to tell you that I wasn't coming home until later, Mother."

"Is that all, Sasuke?" She sighed into the receiver when she got an affirmative. "Honestly, I thought I taught you better when you were younger? You're a big boy; act like it. You don't need to tell us everything that's going on in your day."

"...Yes ma'am." There wasn't even a good-bye before the call was disconnected.

Sasuke closed his phone and put it back in his pocket. He called out for Itachi and informed him on the fact that he was staying. Itachi came back and shut the door, telling him that it was going to be locked to prevent any unwanted secrets being discovered. I.E: the address. Sasuke just waved it off like it was nothing.

The door was only inches away from the frame when Itachi's voice flooded the room again. "Sasuke?"

"What?" the younger of the two growled. He still hadn't gotten over his phone call.

His elder ignored it. "They try to make it sound that way, but you aren't trifing, Little Brother."

"...What?"

"You're worth a bit more than I am at the moment." Itachi shut the door, and turned the key in the knob. And Sasuke's new hole closed up a bit, even after the key clicked the lock in place.

Looking over at Naruto, asleep on the bed again, Sasuke had to smile to himself. His brother was still a bit worried about his psyche at home, he was still able to talk to Neji without being pounced ((sexually anyway)), and he still had the little blonde around.

He lay down next to Naruto, careful not to touch the new burn he'd acquired, but it didn't do much. As soon as he'd settled into a comfortable spoon, Naruto reached around, like he did every other time the slept together, and pulled an arm around his waist. He groaned a bit in slight discomfort, but it went away after a while, and he was sleeping easily again.

That dark expanse under Sasuke's ribs must not have been empty like he thought. The sheer idea of someone wanting him like that; needing him around, even in a state of unconscious... it made his heart skip. The sudden flutter was something new, but it wasn't shunned. Movement in the chest was something he'd only ever read about in fairy tales that could never happen. However, it never occured to him that he had the perfect prince right next to him.

That ache began receding to a dull throb.


	29. This Feeling

someone squealed. I know it. You can't lie.  
But anyway, I'm in school, so I really can't talk.  
I'll fix this thing later at home.  
BYEZ!!!

* * *

Sasuke rolled over and looked at the small digital clock next to the bed. It was only twelve minutes past three in the morning. But, people had bodily needs, and right then he needed to use the bathroom. He forced himself to make it to the small adjoining room and use it correctly.

Upon returning, he flopped back into the bed and curled into a tight ball, trying to restore some of the heat that he'd lost on his journey. Unlike normal people, Itachi didn't believe in using the thermostat at night. He said that, if one was sleeping like he was supposed to, the cold wouldn't bother him.

When Sasuke finally had a little warmth back, he unraveled himself and stretched out, rolling over in the process. Once he did, Naruto reached over in his sleep to grab Sasuke's hand and put it back over his waist where it belonged. Sasuke chuckled.

"Naruto," he called out. When he didn't get an answer, he pushed one of his still icy feet out to brush against the blonde's leg. Instantly, the little hairs rose, and his eyes shot open. Naruto shivered in his now very much awake state and scowled.

"Uncalled for," he muttered.

"You'd be mad if I ignored you," Sasuke grumbled, hugging his partner in apology.

Naruto just yawned in his face. "What do you want then?" he asked once he'd finished. His eyelids were getting heavy again, and he wanted nothing more than to appease their wish to drop.

"Are you tired??" Sasuke asked after a while.

"You didn't wake me up for that," the blonde growled, turning over and letting his eyes slide shut.

"No, I didn't," the raven admitted. "But really, are you? You haven't done anything all day."

Naruto sighed before giving his mildly stupid friend an answer. "I just got a branding, Sasuke. Like cattle. And I was awake for the first five or ten minutes of it. That's a long time to sit there and just scream and cry, don't you think?"

"… I cried for two hours once."

"Congratulations," Naruto mocked. "Tell me, did _you_ go to sleep?"

Sasuke frowned and averted his gaze to the sheets. "… They wouldn't let me."

"Who?" the blonde asked, rolling back over to give Sasuke his attention. He'd never heard of someone not being allowed to sleep before. Especially if they really were exhausted.

"Parents."

"…When was this??"

"Right after Itachi left," the Uchiha confessed just a bit over downcast. "But that's for another time. I wanted to ask you something, Ru."

Naruto groaned and tried to turn again. It took more than one attempt before Sasuke actually let him have his way. "What do you want, you freak?" His eyes were closed already, and his frail body had gone limp. Answering questions wasn't something Naruto wanted to do first when he finally woke up from his branding.

Sasuke could tell that the little freshman was falling back into his slumber, and so was he, but he still wanted an answer. It had been bothering him since he was locked in the room. And, since Naruto hadn't gotten up, he didn't ask him.

"Ru," he started, "you are awake right?" While asking that question, Sasuke felt himself slipping away into some foggy state of mind.

Even though his brain felt like cotton, Naruto had practice in responding to people when he wasn't fully awake. Sleeping in school was bad after all. "Yes, what is it?" he slurred.

"Naruto, I want to know—what scares you the most?"

"The most?" the blonde repeated.

Sasuke just nodded like he could see.

"Mm…" Even in his not so conscious state, Naruto knew he didn't want to answer that question. He waited long enough for the silence to engulf everything. Soon, Sasuke was nearly asleep as well, the lack of motivation taking its toll on his brain.

When Naruto was sure that Sasuke wasn't really with it anymore, he turned over for the last time and took his hand once more. Whispering, he said, "You."

Sasuke let something like a scoff escape from between his lips. "Why's that?"

Naruto whined. He wrapped his free arm around Sasuke and tangled their legs together under the covers. He was almost positive that Sasuke was asleep from the lack of reaction he got, but he wanted to give an answer anyway—just to have it out there and said.

He took two seconds to kiss Sasuke on the chin before giving his reason. "You can leave me, stupid."

His confession fell on deaf ears.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The next morning had the Uzuchiha household in a buzz. Itachi felt terrible about what he had to do the day before, so he hadn't gone to bed until after one. Because of that, he didn't let the boys out of the room until twenty minutes before they had to leave. Usually, that wouldn't be too bad, but that was with only one person. At least the cat wasn't there to get in the way.

Naruto, being the forgetful person he was, couldn't remember where he'd placed anything that he needed to complete his morning rituals. He had to run through the house, scouring corners and checking everywhere he was allowed, to find his things like a hairbrush, gel, and cover-up. A brush because Sasuke needed one. Gel because they both needed it. And cover-up because Naruto looked hideous from the crying he'd done the day before. After finding everything, they were down to only fifteen minutes.

That posed a very big problem for Sasuke because, since he didn't live there after all, he didn't have clothes. He at least needed a uniform to wear. Itachi offered an old one of his own, but Sasuke turned it down. He didn't say so, but he'd much rather take the demerits than wear something his brother donated in a time of need.

So, once everyone had a head on, they had to argue about the breakfast ordeal. Sasuke said he was fine without it, but Naruto was making him eat, so he said he wanted cereal. However, Itachi said that he wanted to use the last bit of milk, after he'd dropped them off, to cook when he got back home. Naruto, of course, wanted to use it to make pancakes. After a very unnecessary discrepancy had ended ((the boys were just going to grab breakfast at school)) the dysfunctional trio piled into the Jaguar and left for the school.

In the car, Naruto noticed that Sasuke was careful not to start any of the conversations that took place. And, once he'd finally joined them, he didn't offer much. After a few miserable attempts at getting Sasuke to tell him what was wrong, Naruto gave up hope and decided to sulk and stare out of his window.

Just as the start of breakfast bell was ringing, they pulled up to the high school. Sasuke immediately got out and shut the door, already headed for the council room. Naruto, who was just a bit more caring than his boyfriend was, leaned over the seat to say bye and get a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving. He tried to catch up with Sasuke, but the older freshman was hell-bent on something for sure. That didn't get him any points on Naruto's side since he'd been snubbing him all morning. And, of course, Naruto didn't know why he was doing it. As far as he was concerned, he hadn't done anything to insult the Uchiha; only comply with his wishes last night.

So, melancholy at being ignored and angry for not knowing why, Naruto stomped his way to his first period like he used to. He flew passed the main office, was a blur by the cafeteria, and merely a blonde streak as he crossed through the student council room. He took note of Sasuke, but he seemed engrossed in a conversation with Hinata, and very much so. Naruto didn't bother him on his way out. Instead, he just continued his trek to the last door on the left on the top floor of the back building. He made a point to stop and see Iruka first.

When he finally made it to Asuma's room, he sank down into is seat and pretended to sleep. Most people didn't know that life was a lot easier for him now anyway. They wouldn't know the difference unless they were pretty close.

Like Kiba.

He came into the room and took a seat on Naruto's desk. Placing a hand on the smaller boy's head, he asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong," Naruto lied. He lifted his head up to show that he had dry eyes, which he did.

"No," Kiba pressed, "something's wrong." He poked Naruto on the forehead, hard, and waited until the tiny freshman said something.

At first, Naruto just held a mask of indifference in place. Kiba added a bit more pressure, and a grunt escaped him. When an impression was going to be left by Kiba's nail, Naruto squirmed a bit. At last, when the nail, claw was a better word for it really, was going to break the skin, Naruto smacked it away.

"Okay! Okay!!" he cried, rubbing at his abused flesh. "God... Honestly, nothing's wrong, but I do have a bit of trouble..."

Kiba rolled his wrist saying, "And that trouble would be what?"

"... Sasuke trouble..."

Kiba moaned and hung his head, keeping it up in his hand. He motioned for Kank' to come in from the hall. Apparently, he'd been waiting outside because Kiba thought something really was wrong.

"What's the groaning for?" Naruto asked, his tough guy act slipping away.

"Naruto... didn't I tell you?"

The blonde frowned and pushed Kiba off his desk hard enough that he crashed to the floor. "Honestly," he said, "I don't think an 'I told you so' is called for."

"Alright," Kiba said standing to dust himself off. "Fair enough. But, please, what happened?"

As soon as Naruto was going to give a response, he heard a rustle outside of the door. After a few seconds, a herd of girls piled in and crowded his desk. He took a few seconds to look around, but all he got in return were eager faces. "Uh... yeah?"

"Naruto!" Sakura began, pushing her way through the crowd to look him in the eye.

"...Yeah??"

"Okay, okay, we like... soooo know that it's really sudden, but we wanted to ask you something."

He sighed and rested his cheek in his hand. "What is it?"

"Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I guessed that much."

"Well," the pink haired girl went on, a blush speckling her cheeks. "We were just wondering if you'd do us all a favor."

"What would that be?"

"Dammit, Sakura!! Stop pussyfooting around it!!" Ino cried, shoving her way in front of the embarrassed girl.

"Watch it, Ino you pig!!"

Ino ignored her. "Naruto, do you think you could maybe get him to come to Kiba's party??"

"Wait a minute," said boy interrupted. "Since when am I having a party?"

"Since your sister told me she was taking your mother out of town for a well deserved escape," Sakura offered. "It was bound to happen, and you know it."

He seemed to contemplate this, but soon enough a grin broke out over his painted face. "You're right," he agreed. "Maybe that's why they didn't tell me about it."

"So you'll do it??" Sakura asked, turning her attention back over to Naruto.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Though, it may be a bit hard with the way that prick has been acting lately."

"Oh!! Thanks Naruto!!" all of them cried. "You're a godsend!!"

"Yeah, yeah," he said waving them out. Once they cleared out, he was left with Kiba and Kankurou once more.

Naruto wiggled as Kiba took his seat on the desk again. He kept his eyes on his tiny friend as Kankurou came over and took him in his arms, resting his chin on top of his head.

When prompted again about what was the matter, Naruto shrugged. "He's ignoring me."

Kiba, though he was shocked, reeled his surprise back in. "Why? What happened??"

Naruto shrugged again. "I dunno. I haven't done anything but what he asks me to. I mean... I did kind of make him stay over last night, but that's it..."

"Anything happen?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. Nothing... Well, I finally got my branding if that counts for anything."

Kiba's eyes bulged, as did his boyfriend's. "B-branding?!" they both stuttered out at the same time.

Naruto nodded and stood from his seat. "Yeah," he said pulling up his shirt. "It's still really sore, so I've got a note for gym and stuff like that."

Kiba nodded, but Kankurou still seemed to be in shock.

"...What?" Naruto asked after a while.

Kankurou shook his head clear and pushed Kiba's out of the way to see. After staring a little longer, and once Naruto had lowered his shirt again, he said, "My brother has one of those."

"...Yeah??"

"Do you... uh... work with him??"

Naruto froze. He'd forgotten that Kankurou didn't know about his job with Orochimaru. How could he have forgotten something like that? Maybe it was because he was seeing him so much now that he was with Kiba, he just assumed that he knew. Maybe it was because he'd actually become a friend, he thought he knew like the rest of his really close ones ((except Hinata, that is)). Maybe it was just because he thought that he could have guessed it?? Whatever it was, he did think he knew. He was obviously very, very wrong.

Regardless, he had to give an answer. Naruto had butterflies all aflutter in his stomach, but he said it anyway. "Yes..."

Kankurou went stock still and stared back. He sat behind Kiba and looked out at the far window. "...Huh."

Naruto looked around for a second before regarding his junior friend again. "That's it? 'Huh'?"

"I'll admit, I'm a bit shocked," the painted boy said turning back to him, "but nothing really comes as much of a surprise anymore. My little bro's a whore. My boyfriend's got serious anger management issues. My dad's on house arrest until he dies because he killed at least twenty people over seas on 'accident'. Oh, and your boyfriend thinks I'm using mine... Nope. You being a prostitute doesn't surprise me much."

"...Oh."

"Alright, so anyway," Kiba interrupted, forcing Naruto into his seat again. "Why's he ignoring you?"

Naruto shrugged from his seat. "I dunno. Knowing him, he probably thinks it's some kind of self-righteous deed to keep me out of harm's way. He's so pompous; it's not even funny anymore."

"You didn't say anything??"

Naruto thought about it. A sudden inspiration struck him. "He asked me what I was afraid of last night. And I told him."

"What is it?"

"I'm scared that he'll leave me," Naruto explained. "That's all, really."

"Oh... well... I don't know what to say to that then..."

"That's alright," Naruto said with half a smile that didn't really reach his eyes.

"Well... are you going to be okay?"

Naruto nodded and placed his head on his desk again. "Can you leave now? I'd like to sulk, if you don't mind."

Kiba sighed and ruffled the blonde's hair. "Sure. C'mon, Kank'! I'll take you down to your first period." Kankurou agreed, and they left, leaving Naruto to wade in his sorrows.

"...You're really gonna leave him like that, babe?" Kankurou asked once they were out of earshot.

Kiba scoffed. "Of course not! We're gonna find Uchiha and make him fix this."

"Oh, okay."

They disembarked and started the search for Sasuke. They went through the council, the cafeteria, the office, everywhere they could think of. No matter where they were though, they couldn't locate him. Soon enough, they resorted to heckling his fan club. None of them knew where he was either. It wasn't normal for no one to know where Sasuke was. For that to happen, someone had to swear not to tell. They would have to be someone really close for him to trust that person too.

"...Hyuuga??" Kankurou suggested. "They used to be real close, right?"

"That's right!!" Kiba exclaimed. Fortunately, tracking down Neji was much easier than his counterpart. He was, surprisingly, out on the basketball court with _other people_. Sasuke was one of them, but, catching sight of Kiba, he called a time out and left. Groaning, Kiba forgot about asking Neji anything and chased after the raven. He was fast too because he had changed and disappeared before Kiba and Kankurou made it to the locker room.

"I don't like him much," Kiba declared.

"But... he's waiting for you," his boyfriend pointed out. And he was. Just outside the locker room, Kiba saw Sasuke by the door to the back building. He made a motion for the couple to follow, and they did. They went out to the back building and entered the stairwell. No one wanted to be back there before school started, so they were fine.

"Hyuuga heard that you were looking for me?" Sasuke said when they were all inside. It wasn't really much of a question, the way he posed it.

"Yeah," Kiba said. He strode to stand in front of Sasuke and stared up at him with anger burning in his wild eyes. "What the hell is your problem?! You've got my best friend sulking in his classroom!!"

"I didn't do anything to him," Sasuke declared. He made a move to leave, but Kiba stopped him.

"Seriously!! That's the problem!! You're ignoring him!!"

"I am not," Sasuke ground out. "I told him about this already. There's no way in hell that I can spend all of my time with him. I've got a school and a company to run, in case you've forgotten, Inuzuka!!"

Kiba growled, baring his teeth to his elder. On an impulse, he raised his hand and ran it across the Uchiha's porcelain face. Surprisingly, his nails didn't leave the marks that they often left on people. Those disappeared almost instantly from Sasuke's cheek.

Looking back at his attacker, Sasuke was wide eyed in astonishment. "You must be crazy..." he said feeling his cheek. "Oh no... I get smacked way too much for random fucks to start doing it too!!"

He grabbed Kiba by the front of his jacket and swapped their positions. He had Kiba pinned, a fist raised behind him, and was ready to let fly. "One good reason," Sasuke warned. "I offer it to everyone... One good reason, Inuzuka."

Kiba scoffed. "I'm saving your relationship."

Sasuke scowled for a few more moments before he set Kiba down on his feet. "Explain," he ordered.

"Tell me why you're snubbing Naruto first," the feral boy demanded. "Maybe then I can shed some light on things."

"It's for the best," Sasuke said, effectively filling out Naruto prophecy of self-righteousness. "He says he's afraid of me more than anything so--"

"Wait!!" Kiba interjected. "Did he tell you that last night??"

"Yes," Sasuke admitted. "What of it?"

Kiba laughed. He actually laughed. "Oh man!! Uchiha... trust me, there's nothing wrong. He doesn't want you to ignore him, that's the only thing that'll get him to leave you. He did tell you that, right?"

"Well... How do you know this?"

"Just go up and see him," Kiba suggested. "I'd do it now too, if I were you. You're running out of time before the bell."

"... Fine."

As he was walking away up the stairs to Naruto's classroom, Kiba called out to Sasuke. "You'd better come to the party too, you damned prick!!" he shouted.

Sasuke just flipped him off and kept going. When he reached the top of the stairs, and made it to the end of the hallway, he peered into Asuma's classroom. True to Kiba's words, there was Naruto sulking at his desk. Sasuke decided to give him a minute to himself, but he quickly decided against that when he saw what the other boy was actually doing. Naruto had lifted his head from his desk and started tugging on his hair. His lips were moving, but no sound was coming out. After that, he'd starting talking aloud again saying things like "mind your own damn business!!" and "that's not true!!"

Bewildered, Sasuke stepped in, careful not to scare the already unstable blonde. When he was close enough, the raven reached out a hand to tap the smaller freshman on the shoulder. Naruto turned in an instant and, seemingly without thought, punched the Uchiha in the chest. A snarl was rippling through his throat, and he teeth were bared as Kiba's often were when he was angry. A savage glint flickered in his eyes as he held his pose.

"Are you finished?" Sasuke asked, gently gripping the fist on his chest with both hands.

The blonde went through what seemed like a powering down sequence. First, he stopped growling and closed his mouth. Then, his icy blue eyes deepened back to their normal shade. Naruto seemed to be in a daze as his shoulders eased and his arm's muscles loosened their tension. He nodded once before removing his fist and drawing it close so that he could sit normally in his seat.

Sasuke followed suit, only he sat on the desk as Kiba had earlier. The raven only allowed one moment of awkward tension to pass through them before he took action.

"Alright," he barked, "what the hell is your problem??"

Naruto's face twisted up in a grimace of depression before he turned away from the teen in front of him. "I don't have a problem," he said with expert evenness.

"I'll believe that when you can actually look at me," the Uchiha claimed, taking hold of the blonde's face. He turned Naruto's head and held it in place, gently running his thumb back and forth over the scars under it. Still, Naruto refused to look at Sasuke.

He kept his eyes on the older boy's shoulder instead, as if that counted.

"Your really have to look, Uzumaki," Sasuke said softer that he thought he could ever be capable.

Naruto shifted so that he was looking at the "third-eye". At least that way it seemed like he was looking him in the eye.

However, Sasuke shook his head. "Not up there," he sighed. "I've lived with Itachi longer than you, Ru, I know all the tricks." He chuckled when Naruto blushed at the comment.

"…I can't," the petite blonde said.

"Why?" Sasuke asked, still keeping his hold on the delicate face before him.

"I don't know…"

Sasuke sighed, frustrated now. He could only put up a soothing act for so long before it got annoying. "You can't look at me, but you don't know why not??"

"No, no!!" Naruto cried, finally giving Sasuke his gaze. "I-I meant that I don't know why you're upset, so I can't really give a reason..."

The raven furrowed his brow as he thought about that. "You think I'm upset?" he asked, still perplexed.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah… You are ignoring me after all. I didn't do anything, so…"

Sasuke smiled to himself on the inside before letting Naruto's face slip from his hand. "Naruto," he called.

"What?" the blonde responded after wiggling.

"Can I ask you something?"

The younger teen just nodded.

"Tell me, please, what are you afraid of more than anything?"

Naruto tensed at the question, moving his gaze back down to the floor. He was prompted again, so the answer just came out on its own.

"You."

Sasuke bristled at hearing it again, but he reminded himself that he was on a mission. And, since time was slowly ticking away, he needed to fulfill that mission soon. He hadn't heard an answer last night, so he fell asleep believing that he didn't get one to the next question at all.

"Why?" he asked.

Naruto closed in on himself, the blush that had only been on his cheeks making its way down his chest. His fingers wrung themselves, and his toes curled as he got ready to give an answer.

The first time it came out, Sasuke didn't catch it, so he asked again. The second time didn't help either, so he decided to take action. Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the shoulders and shook him loose. When the smaller boy was sitting normally in his seat again, Sasuke dropped the question once more.

"Don't laugh," Naruto urged, "but it's because… well, it's because…"

Sasuke sighed miserably. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he said, "You sound like Hinata, Ru."

"It's because you can leave me dammit!!" the blonde cried, standing from his seat. In that same move, he'd grabbed Sasuke by the front of his tee-shirt and looked rowdy again.

Still taken back from the answer, Sasuke repeated his actions from before, though he was wide eyed throughout.

"Are you finished?" he asked, taking hold of the hand that had a tight grip on his collar.

Naruto powered down and sank back into his seat, ashamed at how he could be provoked so easily. Lately, he hadn't been calling on Nikko and Kit. Because of that, the emotions that they respectively held built up behind the barrier that kept them in his head. Now, it didn't take much for him to explode in anger or burst out bawling. He had to be careful about what he did and who he talked to now that things were like that. It wouldn't be so easy to appear normal anymore. Maybe Neji could help him out. Schizophrenia and split personality disorder were things one traditionally got medication for.

"So that's what it was, huh?" Sasuke asked, breaking Naruto from his thoughts.

The blonde snapped his head up and took in the raven's thoughtful profile. He had to admit, it looked much nicer than the scowling one that he went around wearing.

"Huh?"

Sasuke scoffed before sliding off the desk. In that same instance, he held a hand out for Naruto.

Still a bit uneasy, the blonde took it and was pulled gracefully from his seat. He stopped with his free arm pinned between himself and Sasuke's chest, the other held up in the air by the Uchiha. Happy to be in that embrace again, he smiled as the locker bell rang.

Sasuke felt the obvious tension drift away from his lover's body as Naruto melted into his protective hold. He released Naruto's other arm and let it fall before wrapping his own around the tanned boy. His head dropped onto a fluffy pillow of plush, yellow hair as a sigh escaped him.

"You should be quicker with your answers when you know I'm falling asleep," Sasuke chided.

Naruto just laughed and snuggled into his chest. "Sure, blame it all on me."

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine, 'Suke." A sigh wriggled from Naruto's lips. "Just… don't do it again, or I might have to think about this for real after all."

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"Wanna go to your guard dog's party?"

Naruto's face lit up as he lifted it from Sasuke's chest. "You bet your ass I do!! But… you don't know the date either, do you?"

"This is true," Sasuke said, keeping his hold on the blonde. "But… I'm pretty sure I can get that from Kiba sometime."

"…You call him Kiba?"

The raven scoffed. "I figure I might as well since I won't stop seeing him anytime soon."

"Why's that?"

"I don't plan on leaving, Ru."

"Just promise not to ignore me," the blonde whined.

Sasuke sighed and pet his blonde before turning up the tiny face to look at him. "You really are too good for me." He frowned at his own words before disconnecting from Naruto.

"I told you to stop saying that," Naruto pouted. He grabbed the front of Sasuke's tee-shirt before standing on tip-toe to brush his lips against the Uchiha's cut jaw.

Before he could sink back to his normal height, however, Sasuke took his lips completely. The warning bell sounded, and Naruto struggled to break free of his captor's hold, but Sasuke only hooked one of his arms behind his small waist. Naruto risked a glance at the door, and he saw a redheaded girl slowly inching her way in backward, effectively holding up traffic in the halls. A breath of relief escaped Naruto as he was finally released, students filing into the class as he dropped back into his seat dazed.

Sasuke made his way to the door backward with one hand in his pocket, the other in a two-fingered salute. "I'll catch you later, Naruto," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear the friendly departure. He stopped when he reached the threshold, putting an arm out to block anyone else from coming in and getting in the way of his voice.

"Naruto!!" he called out. Said blonde still looked absolutely blank. Miffed, Sasuke grabbed a book from one of the girls that he had at the door and chucked it in the blonde's direction. The girl he took it from didn't mind in the least. He could've just pissed on it, for all she cared.

The sudden noise next to him got Naruto to at least look at Sasuke.

Satisfied with that, the Uchiha said, "Remind me never to wear one of your shirts again. It's way too small."

The blonde nodded. "Get… a uniform…"

"… From where??"

"From Gaara," the blonde offered. "He gives me mine when I don't have one for school."

"...Good idea. Later, Naruto!!" Sasuke moved his arm and snaked out of the room, weaving through students as he did so.

Confused, the remainder of the students filed into the room. Asuma entered soon after, and he was shocked to see that his class was silent. Perplexed, he followed everyone's gaze to the center of attention.

"Naruto??" he called out.

As if it were a triggered reaction, Naruto slammed his hands on the desk and snapped to attention.

"Bye!!" he shouted.

Kiba turned around in his seat in front of Naruto and gave him the most bewildered look he could muster. "What?"

"I didn't say bye!!" the blonde stressed. He drew in a ragged breath. "After that... he's gonna kill me for being a hypocrite, Kiba!!"

Clearly as a move to make the blonde seem somewhat normal, Kiba turned back to their teacher. "Ah... Sir? Would it be okay? It is for his safety after all."

Still confused, Asuma simply nodded toward the door.

Almost immediately, Naruto made a bee-line for it and was out. Kiba followed, but he only stood watch at the door. He looked on as Naruto gave Sasuke his 'good-bye.' Asuma could only judge what was going on by Kiba's expression.

First, he'd rolled his eyes. Then he gagged theatrically at what was going on. Soon after, he was pretending to gouge his eyes out. And, just before he wrenched the door open to join the class again, he scowled and flipped someone the bird.

-.-

"Ugh..." Naruto leaned forward in line and placed his forehead on Kiba's back. "I didn't think it was possible to be this hungry..."

"Get off, Naruto," Kiba said before shaking his shoulders to free himself. "I thought you were hungry, not tired."

The blonde grumbled unhappily. While he tried to keep on some sort of a grimace, a blush overtook him. It wasn't from the effort either. While he wasn't looking, someone passed their hand over the small of his back, trailing those same slender fingers along the waistband of his pants. They continued around the front and slid off before another hand ran through his hair, taking hold of it at the top of his head. Naruto winced to see who it was. Though, it wasn't that hard to guess.

"You're so subtle, Uchiha."

"Really?" Sasuke asked, pretending to be hurt. "I was going for much more noticeable..."

"Shut up," Naruto giggled, pushing at the raven's chest playfully. He shook his head free of its lock and stared up at the Uchiha.

"...What?" Sasuke asked.

"You don't have a problem with people knowing that we're friends, do you?" Naruto asked. It was actually more of a statement than anything.

"I thought I made that clear this morning?"

"Well," Naruto frowned, "I wanted to make sure. I mean, I didn't see you in third period... I thought that maybe you'd disappeared from embarrassment."

"Moron," Sasuke chided. "I was busy. Since I was doing work for the first two periods, I had to wait until then to get my uniform."

"...Where'd you get it?"

"Dumbass," the raven clucked, tapping the blonde lightly on the back of the head. "You told me to go see Gaara, so I did."

"...Did I?" Naruto furrowed his brow in thought and contemplated the matter. He was in a daze for most of first period, so he didn't really remember it. Might as well just go along with the flow of things.

"Oh, yeah," he said, sliding his hands casually into his pockets. "Good thing you believed me, huh?"

"Yeah... And I noticed something out front on my way there." Sasuke gripped the blonde by the elbow and asked, "Can I show you?"

Naruto moaned and tried to tug out of Sasuke's hold. "But, I'm hungry, Sasuke... I didn't get a chance to eat this morning, remember??"

Sasuke sighed and pulled Naruto out of the line he was sitting in. Ignoring his protests, the brunette dragged him down to another line across the cafeteria. Skipping ahead of everyone there, he held out his hand.

The nervous blonde dared to glance over his shoulder, but he didn't see anything remotely close to what he expected. Instead of angry students ready to chuck him out the window, he saw girls. Happy girls. They looked thrilled to have the marvelous Uchiha cut them in line the way he had. Even if he did have someone else with him.

In front of him, Sasuke snapped his fingers. Naruto turned around and gave him his attention.

"Give me your ID card, idiot..."

Quick to oblige, Naruto pulled it from his pocket and handed it over. Without another word, Sasuke swiped his own card. Immediately after, he ran Naruto's through the reader. An error blinked on the computerized screen, but Sasuke told the lunch-lady that he wanted to add a student to his family's account.

"Sasuke," Naruto whined from behind him. "You really don't have to do that..."

"Oh shut up," the Uchiha ordered. He continued his transaction and, before he knew it, Naruto had an ice cream and a new lunch code on his ID.

"Now come on," Sasuke barked, grabbing the blonde again. He dragged Naruto through the halls as he ate his ice cream, but they skipped past the front of the school to a pair of doors that Naruto hadn't thought to venture through. Pretty soon, they were in a part of the building that Naruto had never seen before. It wasn't that old library, and it wasn't some special seniors only place either. He was being tugged along, up a dark stairwell that sounded more hollow with every step he took. Just when Naruto thought they couldn't go any higher, they took another turn and started up another set of stairs. As soon as he decided to complain though, they broke out to the world again.

They were greeted with a wind that tousled their hair and prickled their cheeks a bit once they were out on the roof.

Astonished, Naruto tugged free of Sasuke's hold and ventured out to the edge of the school. He got down on his knees to peer over into the street because he didn't want to fall in it. That would be Murphy's Law, and he was very prone to be affected by it. Regardless, he was still speechless when he looked out over the horizon. The afternoon sky was brilliant enough to hold him dumbfounded, and the high he got from being at such an elevation had him breathless.

"Say something," Sasuke said coming up behind him. He knelt over the blonde and wrapped his arms around him, squeezing him close to his chest.

"...It's pretty," Naruto whispered. He didn't want to break the serenity of the moment with one of his outbursts like he always did. This really was something nice, and he didn't want to ruin it. It was rare that he truly ever felt at peace with another person, so being able to do so with Sasuke was enough to keep him quiet.

"It's a barren slab of concrete, Ru," the raven chuckled. "Tell me, how is it pretty?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not the scene, idiot."

"Then tell me what it is," Sasuke whined in his ear.

"The moment, of course." Naruto grabbed the hands in front of him and entwined all of their fingers together.

"The moment?" Sasuke repeated, resting his chin on Naruto shoulder.

"Yeah." The blonde leaned over and deftly pressed his lips to Sasuke's cheek. He felt it heat up under him, so he got off. "You wanna know something??"

"Hn?" was all Sasuke could manage due to his fluster.

Naruto snuggled back into the raven and cooed out a sigh. "It's good to be in love."

A pause passed, and Sasuke was still unable to speak. In love? Naruto? With him? He just couldn't comprehend it. He'd never really been needed that much, wanted so badly, that someone could say they were in love. The feeling he got from the revelation was alien to him, and it made his stomach squirm. That feeling... It had him running circles in his mind, unable to think clearly for the first time in a long while. That feeling... He was unable to handle it. And that feeling...

It was pure bliss.

"I'm happy you're in love," the raven choked out, unable to think of anything that could actually represent how he felt at the time.

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	30. I'm staying with you

I know it's long guys but.. bear with me. I worked kind of hard to get it together and up before I started my other projects and study for my exams

oh! congrats to my anonymous reviewer _rakkel_ for linking this to Spiral Falling. that is sooooo the first yaoi/sasunaru fic I ever read. and it sticks with me XD If you haven't read it, I advise that you do. It's called Spiral Falling written by Becca Amon, and I loves it to death. I sooooo used some stuff from that fic, but mine is still total different. Like... her's keeps goin after the retreat, and mine stops right after unless you count the epillogue.

* * *

"Bye guys!!" Sakura called as she climbed into the car that had driven up the annoyingly long walk. Naruto still wished Itachi would do that for him. And Itachi still refused.

"Bye!!" Naruto cried as he waved back. He stood in the doorway with Sasuke until the car was out of sight, and then the huge door slammed shut. Startled, Naruto took a step back. That was only half of the double doors, and it was louder than anything he'd ever heard before. It wasn't so easy on his ears.

"Glad she's gone," Sasuke breathed, leaning against the door he'd just closed.

"You didn't have to slam it though," the blonde grumbled. He had his kitten. Again. Since he'd left it the last time he was at the Uchiha's place, he was taking it home with him. Again.

"You're probably right, but I don't really care." Sasuke took a moment to look around the empty entrance hall full of trophies and achievements. With an abrupt sigh, he push off of the door and started for the stairs. "Well, I'm changing. You're quite welcome to accompany me. We don't have to wait for your guardian every time."

Naruto followed the raven up the stairs and through the winding halls to his wing, his floor, and his room. Once they were inside, he dropped his kitten again and scampered over to the computer. While Sasuke changed, Naruto checked his e-mail like he did every other chance he got. While he went through deleting things, he stopped at an address that he didn't recognize. Rather than mark it as spam, he asked Sasuke about it.

"Did you send me an e-mail, 'Suke??"

"No," Sasuke called from his closet. "I see you virtually every day. Why bother to use the computer? Besides, I don't have yours."

"Well... it's an Uchiha address..."

Still shirtless, Sasuke popped his head out of the closet. "From here?" he asked, furrowing his brow. As he made his way over with a hoodie in his hand, he asked, "What's the whole thing Naruto recited. "That is you guys, isn't it?"

"Yeah... Open it and see what it says," the raven ordered. Naruto did as he was asked, then stared at the screen. The type was incredibly small, and the letter was incredibly long. There was no way he was going to read that within his lifetime, let alone the time he had left at the mansion that day.

Sasuke caught the look on the blonde's face before letting a chuckle escape him. "Don't worry about it. It's just a reminder about that meeting."

"...Meeting?" Naruto repeated.

"Yeah," the raven stressed. "Remember? It's to celebrate that breakthrough you brought about."

"...Oh!!" Naruto tapped himself lightly on the forehead when he remembered. "That's right. Wow, I forgot all about it."

"Yeah it's on..." Sasuke trailed off taking control of the mouse to navigate the webpage. "Wednesday," he announced.

Naruto sighed. Leaning back in the chair, since Sasuke was leaned over him and would catch the blonde if necessary, Naruto thought about it. "...What am I going to wear? I don't have a suit..."

"Just wear normal clothes," Sasuke said, straightening up. He pulled the blue hoodie on and popped his head out. "I don't think it's that formal."

"Are _you_ wearing a suit??"

"I guess so," the raven said with a shrug.

"Then I need to get a suit," Naruto said rolling his eyes. "I wonder if he'll buy me one..."

There was a knock on the door, and Sasuke assumed that it could only be his trusty maid Rosa. She was the only one that ever ventured into his wing of the house.

Without thinking on it, Sasuke called out, "Come in," after he surreptitiously hid the two kittens in his bathroom.

"Good afternoon, Sasuke."

Shocked, the raven turned to look at the door. It only took two seconds to steel his face into his usual stoic mask. He didn't say anything though because he was still screaming on the inside, and he didn't want one to slip out.

Naruto, confused after hearing a greeting from one person and not the other, turned to see what was going on. He looked on in awe at the lady in the door. She had long, glossy hair that flowed gently down her back. Her dark eyes were gorgeous, even if they held a glint of odium towards things that refused to be forgotten. She wore a close fitting suit that consisted of a blouse, jacket, and skirt. The blue outfit did nothing but compliment her figure. She had tall, slender legs and tiny feet that she slipped into a pair of matching high heeled shoes. Her pale skin was flawless, and her face was heart-shaped with every feature deemed of being called beautiful.

Naruto thought Sasuke looked exactly like his mother.

Seeing that the conversation was going nowhere, Naruto decided to make himself known. "G'd afternoon," he said waving from his seat. The woman holding the door open directed her attention to the person that she hadn't noticed next to her son.

"Oh, hello," she said smiling sweetly. "I didn't know there was someone else in here. How are you, young man?"

It was Naruto's turn to be shocked. And he didn't bother to hide it. He sat dumbstruck at the computer with his mouth open and his shoulders sunk. Someone in the Uchiha household-- no, someone in the entire _district_-- knew that he wasn't a girl. And they actually referred to him as a guy without being _told_. He was speechless.

"Ah," Sasuke started, shifting a little as he spoke to his mother civilly for the first time in however long.

"Yes, Sasuke?"

"Kaasan, this is my friend," he said looking away as he motioned to Naruto. He just waved idiotically.

Mikoto nodded to the boy at the computer. Turning back to her son, she said, "Is that him? His ride is here."

"...You could have just called, Kaasan," Sasuke said still in shock. "You didn't have to walk this far just for that."

"That's alright," the female Uchiha said with a giggle. "I haven't really had time to see you Sasuke, so I just wanted to say hi."

Bewildered, Sasuke just nodded. Still nodding, he said, "Oh... okay."

"Well, I'll see you boys later," his mother said from the door. "And Sasuke?"

"Yes, Kaasan?"

"It's nice that you have a friend."

Sasuke nodded again. "Yes, it is."

She left after that.

"Sasuke," Naruto breathed. "That's your _mother_??"

The raven just nodded. "Oh... that was your first time meeting her wasn't it?"

"Try the first time _seeing_ her!!"

"Most people don't. You should feel special."

"_She_ should feel special," the blonde corrected. "She knew that I wasn't a chick!! I'm still not over that..."

Sasuke scoffed. "She's got two of the prettiest boys in town as her sons, Ru. And there's Neji. I think she can tell the difference between an actual girl and a guy that just looks like one."

"Regardless," the whiskered boy said with a wistful sigh. "Hot moms are rare nowadays, and she's a real MILF, Sasuke... I think I might have to switch out one of my Uchihas for her..."

Sasuke smacked him on the back of the head. "Don't even joke like that, Naruto."

"Who's joking? I'm not gay, remember??"

Sasuke scowled at the blonde before smacking him again. "Just get your stuff and come on."

"Uhm... actually, could you take it down for me?" Naruto asked. "I'll meet you there."

"Why? You aren't going to tail my mother, are you?"

Naruto flashed him a goofy smile before shaking his head. "Naw, man!! I have to use the bathroom."

Sasuke gave the blonde a stare down before nodding. "Yeah, just... go."

"Thanks, 'Suke!!" the blonde said before bolting from his seat. He didn't even bother to log out of his hotmail account. Sasuke took note of that.

Now, Sasuke wasn't usually one to be nosy, but he couldn't help himself this one time. He told himself that it was because he was worried that he was invading Naruto's privacy the way he was. Of course, that didn't wave his conscience, but he barely listened to that thing anyway. The devil always won as far as he was concerned.

He opened up Naruto's address book and read through the names rather than the actual addresses. Since Sasuke didn't really keep in touch with anyone, he wouldn't be able to recognize any if he knew them.

So, reading down this list is where Sasuke got the gumption to actually speak to his brother when he went downstairs. The list went in this order:

_Tachi_

_Tachi_

_Tachi_

_Tachi_

_Kiba_

_Hinata_

_Kiba_

_Gaara_

_Gaara_

_Iruka_

_Konohamaru_

_Boss_

_Boss_

_Boss_

_Boss_

_Boss_

_Boss_

_Dad_

The thing that got Sasuke was the 'Dad' and the six 'Boss' names. Sasuke, knowing that he'd spent too long in the room, hit the back button and flew out of the room just as he heard the toilet flush. Sprinting down the stairs, Sasuke made it to the door before Naruto was even back to the computer. He had to stop for a moment though. There was someone there, a blonde, that he thought he might've seen before.

"...Who're you?" Sasuke asked in passing.

"Deidara, un!" the obvious man, now that he'd spoken, said. "Nice to see you again, Sasuke!!"

"...Sure," the raven said, continuing on his trek. He had to stop again though when he met up with a redhead on the way down to the car by the gates. This one called himself Sasori. Sasuke stopped a few times on that walk, he was sure Naruto would do the same, and got the names of these people. Hidan, Zetsu, Kisame... He took note that every single one of them, his brother included once he got down to the car, were wearing the same trench coat. It wasn't the white one from the hospital or the black one that Itachi went around wearing either. This one was different. It was still black, yes, but it had a really tacky pattern on it. Sasuke couldn't tell if the red patches were supposed to be clouds or flowers. Either way, it was still tacky...

Ignoring all of that for the moment, though, he did make it to the car. He threw Naruto's things into the back seat and settled in the front passenger to speak with his older double. Itachi was just as surprised as any other person would have been.

"...Do you need something, Little Brother??" the older Uchiha asked.

"No," Sasuke spat out immediately. He resolved on saying, "Yes," after he thought about it.

"Well what would that be?"

"I want to meet Naruto's boss," the younger raven sputtered.

"...I was under the impression that you have."

Sasuke made a feral noise in his throat before swearing. "No! I meant the one that you have, too!!"

Itachi steeled every feature he had before turning off the car. That was when Sasuke noticed it was a station wagon; it didn't cut off with a purr like the Jaguar. It sputtered and clanked instead.

"Listen, Little Brother," Itachi began, turning in his seat to get his point across. "There is just no way that you can meet him. Even if you could, I still wouldn't allow you to."

"Well why the hell not?!"

"...Because then you'd be agreeing to join us all in that line of work."

Sasuke dropped his sneer and looked shocked. Not as shocked as when his mother came into his bedroom, but almost. "...Why?"

Itachi took a second to look out the windshield, pondering a good enough response. There were a lot in his arsenal, but it didn't seem like any of those would work. "Little Brother, do you even know his name?" he asked without turning to look at him.

"No."

"Then there's nothing for us to talk about." Itachi leaned over his brother's lap to open his door. "When you can find that out, I might have something for you. But, here comes your lover, and I need to get him and my friends all home."

"Hey," Sasuke said with one foot out the door, "who are these people anyway??"

"Colleagues."

"You mean that they work--"

"I've known these people since I was seven years old, Sasuke." Itachi let an irritated sigh escape him. "Do you honestly think I've been doing it for _that_ long??"

"...I guess not. But, I've got another question."

"Is it going to disgruntle me further?"

Sasuke shook his head. That older sibling authority was starting to sink in again. He'd been in that car far too long if he didn't think he should say something because it would upset his brother.

"Then what is it?" Itachi asked.

"Who does Naruto call his dad?"

Itachi scoffed. "No one, Little Brother. That's just a prop he uses to appear normal."

"...That sounds horrible."

Itachi shook his head. "No. It's just an extra account branched from my own. I am his guardian after all. The school needs to be in contact somehow. There's an e-mail address and two phone numbers."

Sasuke looked up the walk to see how much longer he had. Naruto was still talking to that Sasori character, and he was only the half way marker between the street and the house.

"I've got one more," he said, turning back to his brother.

Itachi sighed. "What is it?"

"How did that whole thing work out?"

A smirk graced the older Uchiha for a few seconds before he gave his answer. "Naruto just switched the files for us. They used to be in Umino's name, but Naruto convinced him that he had a legal roommate."

"...That's it?" Sasuke asked appalled. "That's the security our school system has? The word of one very malleable fifteen year old kid?!"

"Well, no one said it was a great system," Itachi stated. "A great school, maybe. But no one ever says anything about the system."

"Whatever," Sasuke sighed as he stepped out. Naruto was still at the gate talking to that Kisame guy, so Sasuke figured he'd get one more thing in. "Hey... there's something--"

"No, you cannot ask me anything else," Itachi interrupted.

Sasuke smirked. "That's great, because I wasn't going to. I wanted to tell you something."

"...Alright."

"That woman..." Sasuke started. "She came to my room today."

"That's fan_tastic_, Little Brother."

"You don't get it," Sasuke grumbled. "Maybe you didn't notice, but our parents never really cared for me much. It just got worse when you disappeared, too. I was just wondering if you had any thoughts on her suddenly getting friendly."

"I said no more questions."

"There wasn't a single question in that," Sasuke snapped back.

Itachi scoffed. His sibling was too much like him for his own good. "Any thoughts? ...Yes. Yes, I do."

"Share them, please."

Itachi smiled and shook his head. "No. Those thoughts are just too disconcerting. You'll just have to wait and see how things play out from here." He frowned then. "But remember something, Sasuke."

The younger brother got ready to pay attention. Even when they were living together, Itachi never referred to him as 'Sasuke.' It had to be super important for that to happen. He was sure that hadn't changed.

"What is it?"

"Sasuke..." Itachi sighed again. This time, it was way too wistful for it to be normal. "Sasuke, just know that I'm ten years older than you."

"Really, you didn't need to tell me that--"

"And I joined my first 'ring' when you were born."

Sasuke didn't care that he was interrupted after that.

"You wouldn't know, but nine months before you came around, the same thing happened."

Sasuke looked on in suspicion as he asked his question. "What did?"

"Those people were nice to me for the first time." Itachi sighed and closed his eyes against the glare on the windshield. "I thought I'd have more time than this," he sighed.

"Wh--"

"Hey, guys!!" Naruto called as he finally passed the gate to the Uchiha mansion. He had the rest of Itachi's 'colleagues' trailing behind him. Two were actually at his sides though. He was leading the Deidara person around holding his hand, and that Sasori guy just stuck to the little blonde's right. He had the cat after all. And that cat liked him very much.

"Hey, Ru," the two brothers said in unison.

"Thanks for bringing my stuff, 'Suke," the blonde said, just as chipper as ever. He was so happy, in fact, that it lifted the somber mood over the siblings before him. Sasuke just nodded at the comment.

"Naruto," Sasuke asked, "you know these people?"

Naruto took a second to process the question before a grin broke out over his face. "Yeah!! These are Tachi's friends, duh. Some of them work at the hospital with me," he explained. "Why?"

"Remember that you said _some_," Sasuke ordered. "Why the hell do _all_ of them know who I am?"

"...You didn't meet all of them, did you??" Naruto gawked.

Sasuke shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, un!" Deidara said in his scarily deep voice. "We've been around longer than Sasuke has. We all knew him when he was just a baby, un."

Naruto's brow furrowed, and he chewed on the inside of his cheek to think about it. "Why?" he finally asked.

"Ah... we went to school together or something, un... I think." Deidara chewed on his thumb nail for a moment before giving up. "I don't know, un. Why, Itachi?"

Itachi rolled his eyes from his seat. Resting his head against his seat he said, "All of our parents knew each other. We were playmates."

"_Most_ of us were playmates," Sasori corrected. "Don't forget about Hidan and that other freak."

"I. Don't. Care." Itachi started the car and gave all of them a stern look. "I'm leaving in thirty seconds, regardless of who isn't in the car. Let the Uchiha security take care of your ass if you aren't in here by then. Starting _now_!"

The trench coat clad people, and Naruto, scrambled into the car. When Itachi was irritated enough to exclaim something, they knew he was serious. With twenty seconds to spare, Naruto leaned out of the window. He was lucky enough to get the passenger seat and _not_ be cramped like everyone else.

"Sasuke!" he called. His bags were on his lap now, so he just pushed them to the floor so that he could get on his knees in the seat.

"Fifteen seconds," Itachi reminded chillingly.

"What?" Sasuke asked, leaning down to the blonde's level.

"Hug, kiss, something!!"

Sasuke looked at him like he was nuts. "Okay..."

"Ten seconds, Ru," Itachi warned.

Naruto wound his arms around Sasuke's neck and crushed their lips together. He let go, and he smoothed out the raven's hair to get rid of the frizz.

"Five seconds, Ru."

"Bye, 'Suke!!" the blonde called before pecking him on the cheek and ducking back into the car. When it pulled off, Sasuke still looked pissed. He'd never had a kiss with Naruto last less than thirty seconds before.

-.-.-.-

"Hey, Tachi," Naruto called from the passenger seat. He'd be happy to have his kitten, but Sasori still had it. He said that, since he had a tighter grip, he should hold it because it could get loose. They didn't want some kind of accident with Zetsu after all. There were stories that he would eat anything.

"What?" Itachi asked. After getting a few miles away in the car, he'd finally gotten over his short fit. His little gang, if you will, always got on his nerves. Tobi and Deidara especially. They were the absolute worst when it came to irritating him.

With a slight blush, Naruto turned to look out the window. "Think you could buy me a suit??"

"A suit?" nearly everyone in the car repeated.

"Yes, a suit," Naruto said rolling his eyes.

"...Why?" Itachi asked, still unable to believe that his little housemate even had such a notion.

"I need one," the tiny blonde said, getting redder and redder.

"...Why?" Itachi pressed.

"I just do!!"

"It wouldn't have anything to do with your boyfriend, un, would it?" Deidara asked from the middle seat.

"No," Naruto lied. It came out a bit too quickly, and the older blonde leaned over his seat's other occupants to catch a glimpse of Naruto's reflection. All he saw was yellow and red.

"Yes it does, un!!"

Tobi clapped his hands from his seat next to Deidara, and he leaned over into the front section of the station wagon. "Tell Tobi," he begged. "Why do you need it so bad??"

"No, Tobi," Naruto spat, pushing the man in the mask back to his respective area.

"Oh come on, Mini-blonde!!" Deidara pouted. It didn't suit him at all with that unusually masculine voice of his, but it didn't seem to weird people out like it used to.

Naruto covered his ears in the front seat and rolled down the window so that the whooshing air might drown out the people in the back. With no such success, he sighed and rolled it back up, turning to their driver. "Tachi," he asked, "how do you deal with this every day??"

"A trick I picked up from my little brother," the older Uchiha explained. "Earplugs are wonderful things, really."

"You ignore us?" Kisame asked, draping himself over Itachi's seat. Kisame was an odd man. He had tiny, yet bulging eyes, and they shone with an evil glint that match perfectly with the one that his razor like teeth gave off. Naruto understood why his code name was the Shark.

"So, why do you need this suit?" Itachi asked, ignoring the man hanging over his seat. "It's got to be important. You don't ask me for much nowadays."

While putting the shouts of protest from the group members in the back seat, Naruto wiggled uncomfortably at the question. Deciding that he needed a reason before Itachi just went out and bout him a suit, Naruto said, "It's for a business dinner."

"Ah," Itachi said from next to him, now enlightened. "It's a formal then?"

Naruto nodded. "So... you'll get me one?"

"When's this meeting of yours?" Itachi asked with a sigh. They'd stopped at a red light, so everyone in the back saw fit to complain now that they could effectively be heard. This one was hot, the other was cramped... it just didn't end-- especially with Deidara and Tobi together. They were the reason that everyone was uncomfortable. Deidara couldn't put up with Tobi, so they were virtually all over the back seat before Itachi said something.

"Dammit all to hell," he groaned. He turned around in his seat and locked his angry gaze on the blonde that was causing all of the trouble.

"What?" the man challenged, staring back at Itachi with his own evil gaze. Even with his hawk-like eyes, he never won the stare down. It was like Itachi had some secret weapon that he opened up just by staring at someone.

"Sit still, or I'll kick you out, Dei," Itachi warned.

"But Tobi is--!!"

"You too, Tobi," Itachi spat, flickering his gaze over to the brunette next to Deidara. Why did they even sit next to each other? It always just caused trouble.

Tobi sighed and held his head up in his hand. "Tobi will be good," he promised.

"Great." Itachi turned back around and started moving again when he noticed that the light had changed finally. "...What were you saying, Naruto?"

Naruto just shook his head. "You asked me when the meeting was."

_Tobi inconspicuously poked a certain blonde in the back seat._

"When is it?" Itachi asked again.

_Tobi pinched that same blonde when he didn't get a response._

"It's on Wednesday," Naruto offered. "Can we maybe get it today?"

_A certain masked man found himself wanting to scream at the pain as his forefinger was bent backward after being caught in the act._

"Let me ask," Itachi droned. Reluctantly, he looked into the rearview mirror, and a scowled flitted onto his face easily. Something was very different. "Someone moved while I was driving??"

His tone sounded mocking, as if he was daring someone to fess up to his accusation. No one did though at risk of being kicked out. No one had money on them, and even if they did, they didn't have enough to catch the bus. Deidara used to have a bus pass, but he gave that away a while ago. He wasn't saying that he'd been pulled to the back so he would stop fighting with Tobi.

Itachi sighed from up front and pinched the bridge of his nose. They were on a vacant straight away, so he didn't have to pay that much attention at the moment. "Fine," he said. "Just... answer the question: is it all right if we get his suit now?"

"_We_??" Naruto repeated. "You want to take them with us??"

"You don't want us to come, Mini-blonde?" the blonde man from the back whined. He hopped back over the seat so that he was next to Tobi ((against everyone's wishes)) again. Leaning foreword, he could actually speak to Naruto face to face. "I thought you liked us, un?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You'd want to come??"

"Of course, un!!"

Making a feral noise that the wasn't used to, Naruto glared out the window. A long silence passed through the vehicle as he sat in thought. When no one thought he was going to respond, he asked, "What color do you think I should get?"

"BLUE!!" erupted from the entire back seat with a single distinct 'un!!'.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Naruto sighed as he sank down in one of the chairs that had been placed in the drawing room. It was over stuffed, but that was okay. He just wanted a place to sit. Besides, he'd gone through a lot to get his outfit on Monday, and he didn't want to ruin it by working up a useless sweat for no reason.

The suit he was wearing was, of course, blue, and he had a red tie around his collared shirt. It was a simple get up, but he'd gone to hell and back to get it. If the car ride wasn't enough, getting out of the store was terrible. As soon as everyone was in, they all dispersed leaving Naruto with Itachi. At first, the whiskered teen was confused when Itachi gripped him tightly by the shoulders, but he understood why he did it soon after.

Not even twenty seconds after they'd all left, every single one of Club Akatsuki's special members came back with a suit of their own liking in hand. Their excited chatter was enough to knock Naruto out on its own, but that wasn't the bad part. They were all trying to get him to go with them. That was why Itachi was holding him. He felt tugs here and there, and, had Itachi not been keeping him in place, Naruto was sure that he would have been whisked off to some corner of the store and never heard from again-- a victim of dress-up.

Itachi had finally settled everyone down with the help of Zetsu though. Together, they convinced everyone that they would get Naruto to try the suits on _one at a time_ in a dressing room. Somehow, that made it through their thick heads, and they agreed.

It took hours to get through all of the suits, too. Every time Naruto tried one on from someone, another was shoved under his nose. He was sure that people were going to find a new one as soon as they handed him the one he had, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Suddenly, somehow, the simple suit that he had on had made it into the dressing room, and he thanked every god there ever was. It was plain, but it fit nice, and he liked the way it felt. That time when he stepped out, Naruto said that he was getting that one. Period.

So, now that he was at that all important meeting, and he had his lovely suit on, he didn't want to ruin it. And it wasn't because he could get away with wearing it for school the next day either. Those next two days were teacher work days. He wasn't worried about school, not at all. He was worried about that party.

Naruto sank lower into his seat as unsettling thoughts whirled about in his head. He wasn't sure why, but Naruto knew someone was watching him. He couldn't be sure who it was though because he'd seen nearly everyone at that party before. Whether it be at the shop, the hospital, or the club, he'd seen them, and he was sure. He just wasn't sure who it _was_.

None of these refined business men would be stalking him, but Naruto just couldn't shake the feeling that he was being followed no matter where he went. Knowing that someone was after you like that wasn't a good feeling, and he suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

Luckily for him, he was always in that house. Naruto got up from his chair, and he weaved his way through tiny crowds. No one said anything, probably not noticing him as he snaked by, but Naruto still felt that someone was watching. Trying to shake the notion, he continued on his trek and finally reached the stairs. He trudged up slowly, one at a time, until he was at the top where he had to chose from one of five hallways. Naruto took the one on the end and ventured into Sasuke's wing. Before he knew it, his feet had dumped him at Sasuke's bedroom. He pushed the door open and made sure to lock it behind him.

Naruto flopped down on Sasuke's oversized bed and sunk into the cool linens. It felt good to his weary body, and he didn't bother trying to stay awake. If someone really needed him, they'd come get him.

And someone did just that.

It only felt like five minutes, but Naruto could tell it had been two hours he'd been asleep when he was finally shaken awake. He sat up and yawned, stretching out his stiff limbs as he did. Standing, he rubbed at his eyes and pushed some of the hair out of his face.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Tch! What is it," someone muttered. Naruto still hadn't opened his eyes, and he didn't want to, so he just pouted.

"What?" the blonde asked again.

"Everyone's looking for you, Uzumaki," the person said, tugging on Naruto's sleeve. Reluctant to go, Naruto complied and allowed the mystery person to lead him out of the room and down the stairs. When they were finally at the end of the staircase, Naruto was woken up for real. Someone slammed into him, and music had reached his ears. Thinking he wasn't at the same party, Naruto opened his eyes.

Sure enough, he was still in the Uchiha household. And sure enough, he wasn't at the same party. He'd been carried away from the boring, classical music to fast pace dance mixes that were deemed worthy of being called _music_. He wasn't hearing soft business-like laughs, he was hearing untamed barks of mirth and countless jokes being told around him. Naruto had to be dreaming.

Wondering who his captor had been, Naruto looked at the person still clinging to his sleeve. He looked to be a bit older, and he looked much more refined. His hair was carefully combed into place, and his suit was free of all wrinkles. Apparently, he wanted to look his best because he didn't every day.

"...Who are you?" Naruto asked, still a bit drunk on sleep.

His guide turned around, and Naruto's breath hitched. What was it with such pretty boys in the business world? Sasuke, Itachi, Neji-- and now this guy. Naruto had to find out who made up the rule that everyone had to be perfect if they were going to be a leader someday.

"Hiya," his escort said, "I'm Sai."

"Ah... Naruto," the blonde said, freeing his arm to shake hands with the brunette that had led him to the party in what he assumed was the basement.

"Yes, yes, we know who you are," the pretty boy said impatiently. "Uchiha's been boasting about you for well over an hour now."

"...Sasuke you mean?" Naruto asked as he was dragged through more crowds.

"Is that is name?" Sai asked in thought. "Oh, who cares? First names aren't important."

"Well... this is his house," Naruto defended. "Who's important if he isn't?"

"You, stupid," Sai said as they came to a stop in front of a wall. That's what it was-- a wall. But his wall was lined up with televisions from one end to the other. They were all hooked up to one game system or another, and each one was occupied by some business clad kid.

Sai shooed someone off, and pushed Naruto down in his seat. Naruto shook his head clear and looked up at the screen. He had to take a moment to gawk, but that was it. He was eager to see if Uchiha Corp. had done justice to his game.

"Hey, Uzumaki?" Sai asked from above the preoccupied blonde.

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Do you have a--"

"Hey!!" Someone barked. "Get!!" They made it sound like the kid was a dog.

Sai pouted before straightening up and letting a sigh escape him. "Well, I'll see you later, Uzumaki."

"...Uh-huh," Naruto said absentmindedly. He was busy pushing buttons and twisting analogs to really pay attention. Just as he was about to start some task about finding someone's dog, a hand fell on his shoulder and shook him like it was the last thing they were going to do before they died. Startled, the blonde blinked a few times to ensure that he was alive, and Naruto looked up to see who it was.

"What the hell, Uchiha?" he asked, pushing the pale hand off.

"The actual _meeting_ is starting," the brunette replied, rolling his eyes. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"I was sleeping for the longest," Naruto explained. "I just got here."

"...How _did _you get here?" Sasuke asked, genuine curiosity taking over. "I've never brought you down to the basement, and this started an hour ago."

"Ah... that... Sai kid found me."

"Who?" Sasuke asked, truly puzzled.

"You know, taller than me, short black hair, looks like a _girl_?"

"...You mean the one that was just here?"

"A-duh."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and tapped Naruto on the back of the head. "In case you didn't notice, we don't do first names in the corporate world."

"Why is that?" Naruto asked. He nearly fell out of his chair since he moved with the controller as he tried to dodge an incoming obstacle on the screen.

Sasuke made sure to catch the blonde before he gave a response. "First names are too common," he said with a shrug. "Here, watch. Paul!!"

About seven heads turned in his direction.

"You see?" Sasuke asked, pretending that he hadn't called to get every Paul's attention. "Now watch this. Patterson!!"

A sandy-blonde turned from his screen to see who wanted him.

Again, Sasuke pretended that he'd been talking to Naruto the whole time. "It's the only way to know if someone's talking to you when we're all together like this," he explained. "It makes life easy."

"...Yeah, that's nice," Naruto said robotically. "But, I got Sai's name; I think he likes me."

"What?"

Sasuke didn't get anything but a nod from Naruto as an answer. He was far too absorbed in his game to give anything more than that.

Taking note of it, Sasuke remembered why he'd even come down to the party in the first place. "Hey, we have to go."

"But I want to finish!!" the blonde whined.

"You can't really get that far anyway," Sasuke informed him. "The _game _isn't finished, remember? Besides, you get a copy of this to take home if you _come on_."

Naruto sighed before dropping the controller to the PS3 he'd been on. He stood up and pouted, waiting to be led away again. "Let's go..."

Sasuke nodded and slipped a hand in his pocket as he walked away. He motioned with the other for his blonde friend to follow. Once they were out of the basement, Sasuke took the hand out of his pocket and reached out behind him to pull Naruto forward.

Startled, the blonde gaped and tried to sputter out some kind of protest, but Sasuke wouldn't hear it. He'd tucked them both away into an empty storage closet, and he was damned if Naruto got out.

"You know," Naruto huffed, "you could have just done this at school."

Sasuke shook his head and sighed. Pulling out of his depression quickly though, he latched onto the blonde's lower lip and smirked.

"So true," he said between his teeth. "But you know, I didn't have time today."

"And why's that?" Naruto grumbled. "We've got off the next two days, so it couldn't be school work."

The heir just snickered and closed off his laugh with a kiss. It wasn't too heavy, but it did exceed his normal thirty second rate. "I've been busy," he said pulling out of the blonde's face.

Naruto sighed and wrapped his arms loosely around Sasuke's neck. "I know. I've been sitting in your room since Tachi dropped me off yesterday." That was true. Sasuke had seen her enough that he allowed Sakura in his bedroom. At first, she didn't pay attention to a damned thing, but she gradually got used to it. Tuesday, Naruto went home with the raven, but he was left in the bedroom since Sasuke had things to do for the meeting. Earlier that day, after Sakura left the mansion, Naruto retreated to the room again. This time, he got changed and just walked around while guests filed in. He was glad to take the job of door greeter, but that got real boring real fast, and he'd just gone to look at things he hadn't bothered with before. Like trophies and photos in the halls of the mansion.

"I'm sorry about that," Sasuke sighed.

"It's fine," the whiskered teen said, twirling one of his fingers in Sasuke's hair. It was fun to play with since it wasn't up like it usually was. Sasuke still had his hair pushed back, but it didn't stick up like normal. Instead, it had been brushed into place, and his bangs had become protruding wings that were neatly tucked behind his ears. The rest of it was just hanging, and Naruto liked the way it looked and felt like satin between his fingers.

"You should wear your hair like this more often," he observed.

"And you should wear yours like that," Sasuke countered, a chuckle carrying in his tone.

"Yeah, _right_," Naruto said rolling his eyes. He had his hair combed back _entirely _too tight and it went straight down, flipping a bit at the end. And that was it. He was never wearing his hair like that unless it was life threatening.

"Itachi said the same thing," Sasuke taunted. "He wears his hair in that pony-tail though."

"I can assure you that Naruto will not be doing the same," the blonde said bluntly. "I'm hating this."

"Because you have to dress up?"

"No," Naruto pouted. He pulled Sasuke down a bit and pressed his lips to the space right between his eyes. Letting the brunette back up, he said, "Because it's hard for you to find me amongst all of the blondes already here."

"Pfft. Of course," Sasuke said sardonically. "I should've known it'd be a selfish reason."

"Shut up," Naruto ordered, bonking his forehead lightly against the other's chin. "I thought we had to get to a meeting anyway?"

"Oh, we do," the raven confirmed.

"...Plan on taking us there?"

Sasuke smiled cynically before saying, "It doesn't start for another ten minutes."

"So... why am I crammed in a closet again?"

"...Don't call it a closet."

"Fine," Naruto laughed. "Why am I in a _storeroom _then?"

"Because you look good in a suit, Uzumaki." Sasuke smiled as he descended down to kiss his blonde again. Naruto just shook his head and chuckled before his laughing lips were taken possession of. A giggle turned to a groan, and he parted his lips when Sasuke's tongue slid over them enticingly. The Uchiha placed his hands and Naruto's hips and drove him back so that he was pinned to the wall. A few minutes of osculating later, Sasuke was appalled to find himself being pushed away. But, still abiding by the perimeters set by Kityasha when he'd given Sasuke his midnight lesson, he backed off.

"Don't you _dare_ take it the wrong way," Naruto ordered before giving an actual reason. "I only did it because you'll mess up our hair if it gets steamy."

Sasuke scoffed and let a smile grace him again. "Whatever," he said draping his arms around the blonde's waist. "I told you I'm fine with this anyway."

Naruto rolled his eyes again. "Yeah, in that little note you slipped to me in the hall, right?" He took a second to laugh. "I love how virgin you are; it's too cute!!"

He saw Sasuke start to bristle, so he flung himself around the raven's neck and smiled, snuggling into his chest. "Don't get mad about it, 'Suke."

"How can I not?" the older freshman whined. "I told you in that _little note_ how I can't do things. Like actually say _that _without it being a question. Or the fact that I honestly don't know what I'm doing half the time we're snogging."

"You really need to stop with the Harry Potter," Naruto laughed.

Sasuke harrumphed and crossed his arms, making a point to do it on top of the blonde's head. "Really, at least I have a respectable hobby. It increases vocabulary."

"And Lord knows you need it."

Sasuke pushed down on top of Naruto's head. "You're an evil little man, you know that?"

"I get told _so _often."

"Yes, I'm quite sure," the raven muttered. A few moments later, he pulled his arms off of Naruto and slipped out of the whiskered teen's hold. "Well, it takes a good five minutes to get where we're going, and I'd like to be on time."

"Sure," Naruto sighed, sliding his hands into his pockets. He followed Sasuke out, and they started their journey through the halls.

"Can I ask you something?" the blonde asked after a while.

"Hn?"

" How'd that guy know where your room was?"

"...Excuse me?" Sasuke asked, dropping it as if it was a bomb.

"You know," Naruto stressed, "the guy that came and got me."

"... He got you from my _room_?" Sasuke asked, revolted.

Naruto just nodded. "He even unlocked the door," Naruto declared.

"...That's not possible," the Uchiha claimed after thinking about it. "You and Neji are the only people besides myself that know the key code after the door is unlocked. Even if he were able to pick it... Dammit, someone let him in there."

"_Who_?" Naruto challenged.

Sasuke was quiet for a while. "Good question," he muttered before retiring to his mind to think about it. "You were inside, I don't know the kid, and Hyuuga was with his father-- I think. I really don't know..." Sasuke went on like this until they'd come to a set of large glass doors. Through them, Naruto saw a long table with charts and computer equipment all around it. Lots of business men were seated at the table, and Naruto recognized two of them imediately. One was Hinata's father. The other was Orochimaru.

"My boss is here," Naruto whispered stupidly as his face drained itself of color so that he was whiter than the man he stared at through the doors.

"Who? Hyuuga?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto just shook his head. "Not Hiashi," he said dejectedly. "The _other_ one."

Sasuke perked up and tried to follow Naruto's gaze, but he couldn't guess who the blonde was looking at because everyone was focused on the man up front. Fugaku was going through what one could assume was the outline of the meeting. The boys decided to wait it out.

When they saw Sasuke's father sit, however, they had to go in. Everyone on the other side of the doors had looked to them, obviously expecting someone, and they spotted the raven and the blonde. Reluctantly, Naruto went in first.

He held his breath until he reached Fugaku's seat and shook hands. Now, Naruto didn't know who Fugaku was, but he was at the head of the table, and that was the name on his nametag. Apparently, adults didn't have the same problem with names as the kids did.

"Who are you?" the oldest Uchiha asked as he politely shook Naruto's hand.

"Mr. Uchiha," Sasuke said as he came up behind the blonde, "this would be Mr. Uzumaki."

If any of the remaining people present were holding private conversations, they had stopped. They didn't know who had spurred the recent breakthrough, but they did know his name. Based on that, they expected him to at least _not_ have blonde hair. They also didn't think he'd look like a little girl. And they'd expected someone _older_. Another kid in the corporate world was just too much to handle. They erupted in protests, but someone stood and silenced them.

"Come now," he said in his smooth, even voice. "The boy can't be that bad. He's obviously very good at what he does."

"But, Mr. Sarutobi," someone protested, "another child? Don't you think four is enough?"

"But there are only three," Orochimaru contradicted. "With him, we'll have four even again. Is there a problem with that, Richardson?" He smiled, but it came off more as a sneer to the man it was directed to.

"O-of course not, Mr. Sarutobi."

"Good," Orochimaru said. He cleared his throat and took his seat again. "Please, continue."

Naruto blushed and scowled at the floor. Why was he even there? He had no idea what he was doing, so he couldn't possibly lead a presentation. Even if he did, it'd be a bit difficult with the looks he kept getting from Orochimaru. Every time Naruto looked over there, the man was staring back, intent clear in his eyes. Each time, Naruto blushed harder, and soon all you could see on him were the primary colors.

Naruto looked up to meet his boss's gaze again, but he noticed that someone was blocking him from view. That was when he realized that he'd been moved. The lights were out, and he'd been placed behind a PowerPoint projector. Shaking, he did the only thing he could think of; he pushed the 'next' button.

And Murphy must've been on a lunch break, because the greatest thing in the whole damn world happened.

Sasuke was in the front of the room where the screen was, and he was leading the blonde's presentation for him. He had a laser pointer and everything. Apparently, everyone believed him when he said that Naruto had a sore throat and couldn't carry out his presentation on his own. Of course, Orochimaru helped with that a bit, but people believed it none the less. All Naruto had to do was pay attention for Sasuke's signal and change the slide.

Of course, the whole time, Naruto was wondering just how it was that Sasuke knew _everything_ about what Naruto thought on the stupid game. He hadn't even had it figured out for himself completely, but everything Sasuke said corresponded with the broken thoughts in Naruto's mind. It was all there: the plot line, story structure, characters, objective-- everything. Apparently, Sasuke knew the people that he was associated with well. He must've to have known what Naruto thought without ESP.

When question time came around, Naruto decided to give his lovely assistant a break and claimed that his throat was fine now. He took all of the questions and handed back answers that sounded fit for the Whitehouse. Everything he said after relieving Sasuke was assured and sound enough to be taken into account. The stupid meeting flew by, and all that was left was dinner.

Naruto took a well deserved breath and deflated as everyone filed out of the room. He leaned forward onto the table and ran a hand over his hair as a sigh escaped him. It soon turned into a squeak though when someone ran their hand down the length of his back. Naruto tuned around braced himself on the table. Looking up at Mr. Sarutobi, his face was horror stricken.

"Why don't you and I take a walk?" he asked.

Naruto frowned and stared at a corner in the floor for a few seconds. Moments later, he lifted his gaze and smiled. "Sure," he said in his normal cheery tone. "Just don't tell Sasuke."

"Anything you want, Vulpes."

Naruto scowled and said something like, "Don't call me that here." He left the room with Orochimaru, making sure that they both kept their hands behind their backs. Naruto had been so worried about Orochimaru and the other business men that he forgot to make sure that Sasuke didn't see his agreement.

-.-.-.-

After seeing such a thing, Sasuke was outraged. Careful not to attract attention, he sneaked up the stairs to his room. On his way, Sasuke saw Naruto and Mr. Sarutobi walking out to a balcony. Ignoring it as best he could, he pushed himself until he was safe in his room. As soon as the door clicked behind him, he locked it, and a scream erupted and tore itself from inside of him.

That's why the person he'd heard when he was stuffed in the closet was familiar. That's why Naruto wouldn't tell him who it was. That's who Naruto was running errands for.

"DAMMIT!!" the raven screeched as he continuously pounded his fists into his wall. "That fucker is his _BOSS_?! I knew he was a freak, but this is too damn much!!"

Sasuke heard a noise behind him and stopped assaulting the wall. He turned around, bewildered and looked for the source. Two little eyes sparkled from underneath his bedside table.

Sighing, he pushed off the wall and trudged over to it. He gasped when he reached for the kitten and it shrunk back from him. That wasn't why though. He'd beaten his wall so badly that he tore the skin over his knuckles. He was bleeding, profusely, and he could've sworn that he could see the white on one of his knuckles. He took one more look under the little table before straightening up and sighing again. He couldn't let Naruto see him like that.

Sasuke resolved to wrap up his wounds. He cleaned them first, of course, and then wrapped them in some of the bandage in his medicine cabinet. After shaking his hands to make sure he'd done a good enough job, Sasuke left his bathroom. He searched his room for the fluffy yellow kitten he'd scared off. He found her, behind a pillow this time, and held her while he lay on the bed. By chance, he happened to look at the space between the bed and the bedside table. His eyes sparkled with realization as he spotted Naruto's bag.

Sasuke let Mizuki scamper out of his hold as he reached down to pick it up. With expert precision from practice on Itachi's bags years ago, Sasuke flipped through it. Soon enough, he found what he was looking for.

He scrolled down through the list of contacts until he found the one was looking for: UT. Uchiha _Tachi_.

Sasuke hit the call button and waited.

"What the hell do you want, Sasuke?"

Sasuke pulled the phone away and looked at it in bewilderment. Nope, he wasn't crazy. It was still ringing on the other end.

"Turn around," Itachi sighed from behind him.

Sasuke did so, and he was, once again, staring at his brother.

"How the hell did you get in here?"

Itachi shrugged. "The same way I did when Naruto was sleeping in here."

"..._You _unlocked the door?" Sasuke asked, hope almost evident.

"Yes," his brother said. "I figured it wouldn't be a good idea for that man to come find him... on a bed no less."

Sasuke nodded, thoughtful. "So... how did you get in?"

"Window," Itachi scoffed. "Now tell me, why were you about to call me?"

"Why the hell are you in my room?" Sasuke countered.

"I was getting tired," the older Uchiha explained. "I was outside waiting, so..."

"So you decided to invaid my room?"

Itachi nodded.

"Strong, golden morals, bastard."

Itachi scoffed again, this time moving forward from the balcony's window. "So, I'd think you had something to ask me?"

"You'll let me ask you something?" Sasuke asked mockingly.

"You just might change my mind," the older raven retorted.

"Alright," the young heir mumbled. He turned on his bed and sat cross legged to scowled at his older double. "Tell me if I'm right..."

"Right about what?"

Sasuke took a breath before steeling his features and squaring his shoulders. "Is your pimp's name Sarutobi?? Orochimaru I mean."

Itachi stared at his younger sibling hard. His eyes looked like black, endless pits of hate and despair as he held Sasuke's gaze. Angry thoughts ran rampant in Itachi's mind as the effects of his younger double's words sunk in. He now knew who Orochimaru was. He knew what Orochimaru did. He knew where to find him. And now, Sasuke was in that terrible world Itachi had tried to hide him from.

The older sibling closed his eyes and sank down on the bed next to his little brother. "Give me your necklace," he ordered.

"...Why?"

"I said give it to me!!" Itachi hissed, his eyes snapping open as he turned to scowl at his brother. Sasuke was completely chilled, startled, and terrified. He nodded once before pulling it out of his pocket. Itachi snatched it and opened the catch, sliding off the circular pendant on the end.

"...What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, finally regaining some of his nerve.

"Modifying it," Itachi hissed as he handled the tiny object. He examined it close, obviously looking for something. He soon found the virtually invisible spring release and pressed it in with the tip of the chain's clasp.

Sasuke jumped back as the tiny ring broke into clones of itself. Apparently, those layered lines weren't for show.

Itachi wasn't done though. He checked each little ring for two things. One was a place where he pulled out a tiny metal loop, and the other was a compartment that stored a thin wire that coiled inside of it. He stretched out the wires as far as it would go and then expertly tied them off to the loops before flipping them closed again. When he was finished, he tossed it back to his little brother.

"Put it on," he ordered. Sasuke did as he was told and stared down at it.

"What is it?"

"It's the same necklace," the older man explained, "you just have to _wear_ it now."

"Why?"

"I told you," his brother said. "You're in this shit now, and you've got to deal with it."

"...So it is him?" Sasuke asked. Itachi nodded, confirming it for him.

Itachi reached under his shirt and pulled out his own necklace. It was identical to the one Sasuke was wearing now. "And, now that you know, you've got to wear it just like me."

"Does Naruto have to?"

Itachi shook his head.

"Why?"

"He's not an Uchiha."

A moment passed before Sasuke had the nerve to asked the quesion burning on his tongue. "So... are you at liberty to tell me things now?"

Itachi sighed and fell back on the bed. He rolled over onto his stomach and turned his head to face Sasuke. "Sadly, I am."

Sasuke turned and stared down at his brother who looked absolutely woebegone spread out on the sheets like that. "Well, can you tell me something? Orochimaru, he's your pimp... and, he was the guy I heard in Naruto's apartment, but... I've heard him somewhere else, and--"

"In the boardroom," Itachi said. It came out too quickly, and Sasuke knew he was lying.

"No. Somewhere else. Where was it?"

Itachi sighed and closed his eyes. Turning away from his inquisitive brother, he said, "He's the man who took me away."

Sasuke stared, mouth agape and eyes wide, at his brother's back.

Itachi knew what question was coming next, so he just answered it. "Let me see... we were at one of the summer places, right? Well, your father invited him over once, and he came back on his own when Fugaku and Mikoto were out. I'd already met Orochimaru, and I was already big with my drug ring, you know. We were well aquainted since I suppled the aphrodisiacs that were used in his club. I was already a strong member, and I even held a larger portion of ownership. I still do."

"...So...?"

"So, he came by and made me an ofter that, quite simply, I couldn't refuse. Either I ran away and stayed at Akatsuki with him, or he took you with him when he left. You have to understand, Little Brother, that I could only think of what was best for you in my mind at the time. I didn't know leaving would do what it did, so I left with him."

"What?" Sasuke sneered. "You wouldn't be able to stop him if he tried to take me?"

Itachi shook his head on the mattress. "No. Not at the time. Orochimaru had me beat in everything then. There was nothing I could do besides go with him. It's kind of sad really. A grown man living at home not being able to protect his teenage brother. I still haven't forgiven myself for that."

"So," Sasuke struggled to get things right in his head. He now knew why he knew Orochimaru beyond the business world, and he knew why Itachi left. "Uhm... It would make sense, with the long running ring and all so--"

"Yes, Little Brother, I'm the one who's been drugging you."

Sasuke bristled and grabbed his brother's shoulder, flipping him over onto his back. "Why?!"

"It was one of his demands," Itachi explained. "And, after a while, I just had to or you'd go through withdrawl. Don't they teach drug education anymore?"

"You know," the younger raven sneered, "that is the reason I take medication now. I had a very BAD reaction to it!!"

"I know," Itachi said, his voice losing all of its edge. "I didn't know that would happen though..."

"It's funny, you know?" Sasuke stood from the bed and glared at its remaining occupant. "The one time I eat something from you, I break out in a flesh eating infection that I'm STILL on medication for!!"

"I know," Itachi snivelled. He sat up and made a move to grab Sasuke, but he bounded from Itachi's range and stood back.

"You are not touching me," the young Uchiha deadpanned. "This is not exactly an idyllic moment, bastard."

Itachi took a moment wallow in self-pity before giving his brother his hard gaze again. It had recovered from its ego blow, and his glare was rejuvinated to its full extent of power. "Answer something for me, Little Brother."

"What."

"Why don't you refer to me?"

"...I do."

"No," the older brother said as he stood from the bed. He was quicker than Sasuke, so, this time, he caught his younger sibling and threw him to the bed. "Why don't you refer to me, Little Brother? I mean with some definate name of course."

Sasuke scowled as a noise escaped him when he bit the inside of his cheek. He had known what Itachi meant, he just didn't want to answer the question. He was shocked out of his reluctant phase when he was pushed back in the middle of the bed, and Itachi held him there with one of his powerful hands closed around Sasuke's throat.

"Why, Sasuke?"

The younger Uchiha tried to remain silent, but one can only go so long without air. He reached up and tugged at Itachi's hand. It loosened, but it stayed in place. Taking in the little air he could, Sasuke gave his answer.

"Because I don't know what to call you!!" he gasped. Itachi let him go, and he sat up. He felt his brother's stare, so he elaborated. "I... It's been three years, dammit!! I never really respected you, I just liked you. So I can't say 'Itachi.' And after you left... I didn't feel like you were really part of the family anymore, so 'Brother' doesn't work..."

"We can solve this problem if you'll let me," Itachi said after a pause. "I know you despise me to the very limits of hatred, but I'd like a definative name from my little brother. Especially since you're in this disgusting world I live in now."

"...A-alright," Sasuke said wavering a bit. He watched, slightly unnerved as Itachi raised a hand. He was shocked when it ran across his face "B-bastard!!" he sputtered. "What the hell was that?!"

"One."

Sasuke made a move to hit him back, but Itachi stopped the traveling fist in his own hand. He kept Sasuke's other one pinned to the mattress with his knee.

"Get off!!" the younger raven ordered. Itachi ignored him and, instead, grabbed his brother's hair and held him in place. He softly placed a kiss on his temple, and Sasuke was thrashing around in mere seconds.

"Itachi!!" he shouted. "I'll fucking kill you!!"

Itachi only sighed. "Two... there's only one more."

"What the hell!?"

Itachi let go of Sasuke's hair, and the young heir tried to bite him. The older raven just rolled his eyes in disbelief before doing something he hadn't done in years. He used two fingers, index and middle, and extended them out. In one quick motion, he tapped Sasuke deftly on the forehead.

"Aniki," Sasuke whined. Suddenly, he wasn't so pissed, so Itachi let him go. "Why'd you do that? You know I hate it..."

"Maybe, but you still like me, Little Brother."

"And why's that?!" Sasuke demanded.

"Because on three, you called me Aniki," his brother explained. "On three, Naruto called me Tachi, and on three, I called him Ru. It just works that way."

Sasuke growled before smacking his brother's hand away. "Whatever!!" he cried.

Itachi let a smirk flit across his face before asking his question. "Sasuke, have you figured out what I meant earlier today?"

"You mean about our mother being pregnant??"

Itachi smiled. "Very good, Little Brother."

Sasuke scoffed. He untucked his bangs from behind his ears and ruffled the rest of it back to life. "I don't get what's going on really, but I understand."

"What don't you get?" Itachi asked.

Sasuke sighed and rubbed at his still stinging cheek. He was slapped way too much for it to be healthy anymore. "Why does it matter that she's having a baby? I mean, it's not going to affect me, is it?"

"Sasuke," the long haired raven started, "there's a reason they're so nice when the baby's coming. They want to make you feel special, like nothing could be more important. After it comes though, you'll just be nothing. I swear it, Sasuke. You'll just be the older sibling that sits in the corner. You'll be the one expected to grow callous and serious because you'll run a company when you're older. They'll shun you completely until you don't feel for them at all."

"...Is that what happened?" Sasuke asked. He looked away out of shame when his brother nodded. "I... I think I'm sorry..."

"Not your fault," Itachi reminded him.

"So... after the baby...?"

"After the baby, you'll probably do the same thing I did." Itachi sighed and fell back on the bed. He covered his eyes with his arm and sighed. "You'll try to make it hate you. But, it won't work. You'll fall in love with the damned thing Sasuke, and it'll get so attached to you that you'll wonder why you ever felt the way you did. After that, you'll try to set the best example you can for the only person in the family that truly cares about you. Ultimately, you'll learn of your parents' plan, and you'll leave. Hopefully with the excuse I had or one as good as it. I'd been wanting to leave, I just didn't know how I'd be able to dump you with hollow people."

"That's so..." Sasuke sat dumbstruck on the bed. He was slouched over, and he kept running Itachi's words over and over through his mind. The things he said... they made sense. Everything he said made Sasuke understand what was going on in their family and just why exactly it was that way. "Aniki... it's so... wow."

Itachi sat up and let his hair out. He pulled it back up with expert poise before turning to his little brother beside him. "You know," he said somberly, "there's something that you'll have to get used to..."

"What would that be?" the younger raven asked, a bit wary at his brother's tone.

Itachi sighed and looked away. "God... I'm not really one fore incest..."

"E-excuse me?!" Sasuke shrieked, nearly leaping from the bed. Itachi grabbed him before he could get away though.

"I didn't mean that far," he hissed. "It's an obligation of mine, Sasuke. I'm not raping you, honestly. That's disgusting!!"

Sasuke calmed down and took his seat again. The conversation wasn't as comfortable as it used to be. And that wasn't very comfortable to begin with.

"So... What did you mean?"

Itachi sighed again before closing his eyes and running a hand over his face. "You'll have to get used to kissing me," he said, muffling his words through his hand as it passed over his mouth.

"Wh... why?!" Sasuke cried. He grabbed Itachi by the shoulders and attempted to shake him. "Why the hell is that, Aniki!?"

"Because, Sasuke, I know what you're going to do."

"...You, do?"

Itachi nodded. "And, once you do _that_ you'll have to kiss me everytime you see me. Whether it's there or not."

"...WHY?!"

"I hold the largest share of the clubs stocks, and I practically own it. On top of that, I'm its most senior member. You just have to."

"...That's riduculous," Sasuke declared, letting his brother go.

"I know," Itachi said wistfully, "but I've grown used to it... Oh, Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"Before I go, I wanted to give you something." Itachi dug around in his trenchcoat pockets before finally pulling someting out. He held it in his hand, showcasing it before Sasuke.

"...What is it?"

"It's a sedatiave," Itachi explained. "Because you're an Uchiha, and Snake-bastard hates us all to an uncanny extent, you'll need it. Chances are, you won't get the normal orientation."

"...Thank... you?" Sasuke shook his head and pocketed the tiny pill.

"Trust me. I wish I'd thought to take it with me. I've got a tree on my back, and I remember how every branch felt."

"Whatever, just... leave so that I can do this."

"Fine." Itachi stood from his spot on the bed and turned to look at his brother. With a look of pure revoltion on his face he shook his head. "We don't need to start that little requirement now," he said. "I just can't do it."

"Thanks."

Itachi nodded. Then, he walked over the balcony window he'd left open. Stepping outside he called to his bother. "Sasuke," he said.

"Hn??"

"I suggest you do what you're going to soon. Orochimaru is leaving."

Sasuke didn't bother to make sure Itachi really made his way down from the balcony, instead, he ran out of his room and flew down the stairs. There was no way he'd missed dinner completely!! He'd only been in the room for so long. It wasn't anymore than fifteen minutes. When he reached the front door, he stopped. Naruto was there.

"Hey," he said as he stood at the door.

"Hey," was Sasuke's idiotic reply.

"So... you know about Orochimaru?" the blonde asked, a smile platered onto his face. It wasn't until then that Sasuke noticed how fake it was. It looked like he was straining himself, and it wasn't even a big smile to begin with. Sasuke sighed before going to the blonde and taking him in his arms. There weren't cameras in the entrance hall, so he didn't care.

"How'd you know?" he nearly sobbed.

"There's no one in my phone with a surname that starts with a 'T', Sasuke."

"So?"

"So you missed Tachi's number by one, and you called Snake-bastard instead."

Sasuke stilled before squeezing Naruto closer. "I'm sorry," he said into the blonde's hair.

"You don't have to be, you know," the whiskered teen whispered. "If you really want to do this, there's no reason to be sorry."

Sasuke heard the hidden question in the blonde's statement, and he held him tighter, if possible. "Ru," he said, "I have to do it. I can't walk away now."

"Why?"

"Because I want to be with you anyway I can," Sasuke explained. "Even if I can't say those three words without a preface, I still feel that way. I'm willing to do whatever I have to to stay with you, Uzumaki, and you aren't getting rid of me."

Naruto didn't give a response. He grabbed the front of Sasuke's suit and fisted the fabric between his fingers, clenching it so tightly that, if he wasn't holding it, he'd probably cut his palms. Sasuke felt a quick tremor go through the blonde before the warm wetness breached his business attire. Still, Naruto's voice came out unbroken, even if he was pressed into Sasuke's chest.

"At least you get a new necklace out of it," was all he said.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * *

Sooo!! It's time for Brooklyn to explain some things. first off: there's going to be a new baby. Mikoto plans on getting pregnant, and that means not good stuffs for sasuke. see, cuz, they're gonna be super duper nice but, when the baby gets there, they'll totally get evil and mean and belittle him and all kinds of other stuff. cuz.. they're just mean like that in this fic of mine. 

anyway... because he's been told it's going to happen anyway, and he's so totally self-rightgeous, Sasuke plans of joining Orochi and Naru at the A-club... ((akatsuki of course... cuz... I'm sooo ounoriginal and stole the name from another fic XD)) uhm... that's about it...

Oh!! and tachi mumbled something about thinking he had more time or something?? yeah, remember that, please.

one more thing::: how the hell did Naru know what was going on?? the phonebook in his cell. it goes SO and then UT. get it? Sarutobi Orochimaru and Ichiha Tachi?? yeah... I finished this at like... 2:30 or something, I know some stuff isn't that clear. So, I tried my best to make things sound right.. uhm... here lawlz


	31. Initiation

guys... don't kill me...  
I was planning on putting up the next one with it, but it isn't finished, so you'll have to live with the depressing atmosphere.

uhm.. i have no comments guys... i tried to make it more carefree at the end... chapter 33 is a filler!! party!! sooo.. it gets less... morbid... yeah.. alright, I'll go run now.

* * *

In the back of Orochimaru's car, Sasuke silently went over the ramifications of his decision. Sure, he was in dangerous waters, but things were always like that anyway. What worried him most was Naruto's reaction. He wouldn't even sit in the back seat with him. And they hadn't spoken since they made it inside the small car. Maybe he should have put some more thought into it.

He shook his head slowly, laughing at the idiotic idea. No, he was right to do it. Even if Naruto didn't like it, Sasuke was going to join their little club. That was one thing he was willing to do regardless of what the blonde thought. Naruto didn't run his entire life, and it wasn't going to be like that. Sasuke just wasn't that subservient, even if he did feel the way he did for the kid, no one was going to direct his life save for himself.

That being said, he cleared his throat in the backseat.

"Do you need something?" a pair of golden eyes asked from the rear-view mirror. "We're almost there; I'm sure it can wait..."

"Do you have a drink?" Sasuke asked anyway. Now that he knew they were almost there, he was definitely going to need one.

"Nothing legal for you to have, sorry," the man up front sighed.

Naruto scoffed from his seat next to him. "As if something like that's ever bothered you... And stop lying. You keep tea in here for me, don't you?"

"See, but that's for _you_, Vulpes."

Naruto rolled his eyes and grumpily stared out his window. "Then give me one."

The pale man sighed and grabbed one from a secret stash by his door. It was rare that Naruto was cheeky, so why not comply?

As soon as the blonde got it though, he tossed over his seat without a second thought. "Here," he said before slamming his chin into his hand and keeping it there.

Sasuke caught the bottled tea hurling at his head. Something told him that it had been aimed there. Regardless, he cracked it open. He surreptitiously pulled the tiny tablet from Itachi out of his pocket and popped it in his mouth. In that same motion, he drank from the bottle and swallowed it. His brother had said that he had a tree... The only thing Sasuke could think of was a whip, and that didn't sound so comfortable.

After his first time of willingly taking a drug, Sasuke leaned back against the seat and sighed. Due to lack of motivatoin, his mind did a rare thing. It wandered. He started thinking about the recent conversations he'd had with his brother.

A few days prior, Itachi said something about a baby coming. That wasn't what bothered Sasuke. What bothered him was the fact that he said he thought he'd have more time than that. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder what it was exactly that his brother meant. Why did he need more time? Preparation, no doubt; but for what?

Based on the talk they had in the bedroom just before Sasuke ran out to catch Orochimaru, the baby was a bad thing. Itachi thought that, once it came around, Sasuke would turn into him. That's what Sasuke believed anyway. It sounded right now that they were on civil terms. And now that he knew what exactly happened to his older brother.

Sasuke shook his head as he sipped from the bottle again. An Uchiha's life was just too damn complicated. There was too much to keep up with. And, if you didn't, things would just tangle up and everything would start to flow together into one big mess. Sasuke was sure that was what happened to him. Everything, all of the memories, all of the lies, everything that made him just accumulated into a huge knot that was never coming undone. That knot was his life, and every thread was just another fallacy he tried to keep locked away. Everyday something was added to his knot of nothingness, and he was fine with that.

He sighed again. He truly was fine with that. But then Naruto came along. He defiantly stood on that knot and started tearing through it. Sasuke actually knew what was going on with his life. He actually knew what happened in his past. And he was fairly certain that he knew what was coming in the future. In such a short time, Naruto had found a way to tear Sasuke's knot to shreds until he was the only thing left. He'd sorted everything out, and he was the center of Sasuke's life. Even if he couldn't say it, Sasuke loved him.

He smiled at the thought.

It was true. Naruto was his world now, and nothing was getting in the way of that. He never really did feel for anyone like he did for Naruto, but he was sure that's what it was. Sasuke loved him, and he'd do whatever he had to to be with the blonde, even if it did upset him. He'd get over it soon enough, and they'd be closer than ever.

Sasuke grunted as he was jarred by the car door when they hit a pothole. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt as much as he thought. Though, it did hurt still.

"Well," the eerie driver said as they came to a stop, "we're here. Tell me, have you ever been to the A-club, Sasuke-kun?"

"No," the young Uchiha said, shrinking into his seat. For some reason it made him feel inferior. Everyone else had been there for ages, and he couldn't even say that he'd seen the place.

"It's nothing to feel bad about," Naruto grumbled. "Wish I could say I've never even heard of the hell hole."

"That's not so nice, Naru-chan," the icy man said. He cut the engine to the car and reached over to tug on the blonde's hair.

"Stop it," the small teen ordered meekly, swatting at the offensive hand.

"Was that a rejection?" Orochimaru asked cynically. This time, he grabbed Naruto's hair in his fist and held his head so that he was forced to look at his menacing golden eyes.

"Yes," Naruto spat back defiently.

"Well aren't we cocky today," the older man observed. "But you know, Naru-chan... it just makes me find you so much tastier."

When he licked his lips was when Naruto tore from his hold and bolted from the car. He was standing on the sidewalk panting with wide eyes while his devious pimp watched with desire clearly scrawled across his features-- no doubt with sinful images running through his mind. Orochimaru was far too eccentric.

"Oh, you know I'll just come see you later, Naru-chan." Orochimaru winked devlishly before pulling the passenger door shut and stepping out of his own. Before he could make a move, Naruto remembered Sasuke. He ran to his door and wrenched it open, the raven nearly falling out in the process. Naruto caught him and helped him out though.

After Orochimaru saw that the blonde was preoccupied, he went to open the door-- a peeved look plastered on his face.

A relieved sigh escaped Naruto before he shot Sasuke a dirty look as he stood up.

"You know," he said while his voice dripped with malice, "I really don't want you to do this."

"Well, I'm going to," Sasuke replied. Before Naruto could protest, he wrapped the tiny blonde up in his arms and buried his face in his sunshiney locks. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Being sorry won't do me any good..."

"Well... At least there aren't any more secrets, right?"

Naruto scoffed before snuggling into Sasuke's chest. "That's hardly a fair exchange," he mumbled.

Sasuke waited for what he knew was coming, and he was right to. If he'd said anything else before Naruto started crying again, it'd be something ridiculously stupid, and he'd regret it later. When his young lover did start to weep, however, he knew just what to say.

"Ru," he called.

He got a huck in response.

"Naruto," Sasuke cooed. "Don't cry, please. You'll make yourself sick. I don't want that."

"You don't care about what I want," Naruto managed between sobs.

"That's not true," Sasuke said in a soothing voice. It usually felt like velvet on Naruto's ears, but it didn't have the same affect that time. Instead, it sounded like harsh grinding stone and did nothing to appease him.

"Then why are you still doing this?"

"Because I've got to do some things for myself," Sasuke chuckled.

"...That's not why."

"You're right," the raven sighed. "It's like I said at the estate: I'm going to be with you any way I can."

"Self-righteous bastard," Naruto sniffled, pounding his fist lightly into Sasuke's sternum.

"Maybe," Sasuke said with a small smile now that Naruto could actually stomach to look at him. "But, I'm not going to change my mind."

"Then it's my job to tell you that Orochi really hates Uchihas."

"Is there really a reason for that?" Sasuke asked, using his thumb to wipe away the tears that were still rolling down Naruto's cheek.

"Yeah," Naruto admitted. "Tachi told me once. It's really stupid but... he got turned down by your dad when he was younger."

"...You're serious?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

Naruto nodded. "Mine too."

"But he adores you," Sasuke pressed.

"Yeah... I've got my mom's last name, you know."

Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Lucky."

Naruto sniffed and shook his head. "Says you. He harrasses me more than anyone since he doesn't know that."

"Well," Sasuke said, "I won't let him. You are my boyfriend after all."

"Don't worry about it," Naruto reassured him. "Snake-bastard will probably stuff us together all of the time just to watch now that he knows about it."

"...Is that normal?"

"Anything's normal here."

"Well... it doesn't really matter," Sasuke claimed. "So long as I'm here with you, I don't care what happens." Naruto was going to object, but Sasuke didn't give him the chance. He dropped down to cover the blonde's lips with his own. He wasn't forceful or demanding, but he wasn't soft and gentle either. Naruto felt the worry etched into Sasuke's mind through his lips, so he decided to leave him alone. Maybe he was wrong, and Sasuke really was okay to make this choice on his own.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Naruto changed his mind. Sasuke was absolutely wrong to make the choice on his own. Orochimaru, being the jealous fuck he was, wanted to punish Naruto as well as Sasuke. It was a stupid reason-- because Naruto didn't tell him he had a 'special friend' as he had put it. And quite frankly, Naruto wasn't liking it.

Punishment was one thing, but this was torture. He didn't want to do it. Even if Sasuke did take something before hand, he didn't want to inflict that kind of damage. There were no doubt going to be scars, even with his insane healing capability. Besides, Naruto had promised never to hurt him.

"Orochi," he called out warily, "I... I really don't want to do this."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that Naru-chan," the icy man said in a mocking tone. He took a long sip of whatever he was drinking before speaking again. "Besides, you're the only person here to do it for me."

"But... you don't understand, Orochi." Naruto sniffed back tears that threatened to overtake him again. "I... I said I'd never hurt him-- no matter what. You can't really make me do this."

"Oh, but I can, little fox." Orochimaru grinned evilly at the young boys across the room. "And I'll let you name him afterwards if you want."

"Ah!" Naruto's breath hitched, and he had to take a second to get it normal again. The club name was what absolutely defined a member. It told people how good they were and what their personality was like. Naming someone was the highest honor someone could get at Club Akatsuki. But... it was still Sasuke...

"Naruto," the brunette called from his spot on the wall.

Naruto turned to see what the older freshman wanted, and he was shocked at the sight before him. Sasuke had peeled off the upper portion of his suit and turned to the wall with his hands bracing against it in front of him. He stood spread eagle in his business pants and dress shoes looking over his shoulder to catch Naruto's gaze.

"What?" the blonde choked back.

"It really is okay," Sasuke said solemnly. "If it's honestly that important, I'd much rather you did it, Ru."

"But, Sasuke--"

"I can take it," the raven swore in a wispy tone.

"But, Sasuke!!" Naruto cried in protest. "I can't do it!! I don't want to put you through such harsh pain!! I don't want my first time seeing you cry be like this!!"

"Is that all?" Sasuke asked gravely. When Naruto nodded, he turned his head back to the wall. "Then I won't."

"Wh...what??"

"I won't cry, Ru," the young Uchiha promised. "If it upsets you, I'll just grin and bear it. No sounds, no tears, nothing."

"But, Sasuke!!"

"Well," Orochimaru called from his side of the room, "you heard him Naru-chan. He said you can do it. Though, I don't think he'll be able to just grin and bear it. Even Itachi made some kind of noise."

"He was ten and still stayed at home," Sasuke nearly hissed. "It didn't make sense at the time, but I can look back at it and see what was going on now."

"Is that so, Sasuke-kun?"

"It is," the raven growled. "I remember every time we ever saw you after I started coming to the boardroom... I remember how he used to shrink away. He clung to my hand like it was keeping him rooted to this world. And he always looked so impassive when you said something to him."

"I never noticed," the icy man said while he twirled a loose strand of hair.

"Yeah?" Sasuke countered. "I'm sure you did. You made passes at him all the time, if I remember correctly. And, believe me, I do. Pretty soon, you got fed up with his stubbornness and threatened to report him for incest. That was when he started to stay out longer... sometimes for days."

"Well," Orochimaru grimaced, "as touching as a story that is, I'd rather not hear it. I suggest you begin now, Uzumaki, lest you want me to do it."

Naruto jumped at the tone of his voice and gave Sasuke a depressing look. Sasuke just tossed a lopsided smirk over his shoulder, challenging Naruto not to give him everything he had. The blonde mumbled something to himself before turning to grab something off of a small table not too far from his reach. He swallowed past a painful lump in his throat before letting the weapon uncoil itself and roll to the floor.

"You know what, Sasuke?" he called in a hushed tone so that Orochimaru didn't hear.

"Hn?"

"This is that nightmare I had, except it was Itachi who brought you here." Naruto laughed at himself before going on. "I don't know why I thought of him... Maybe because he left with you before when we were kids?"

"Naruto... stop," Sasuke ordered. "You're killing youself by stalling; just do it."

Naruto scowled at the floor and the offending whip by his feet. He honestly didn't want to be the person that put Sasuke through that. As far as he was concerned, the Uchiha didn't know what the hell he was talking about. Being masochistic was one thing when it was mentally. But whips were something else. They hurt. A lot. And Naruto was sure that, despite his quick healing ability, Sasuke was going to have scars from it. Itachi did.

Against everything in his heart though, Naruto closed his eyes and raised the handle above his head, bringing it down with a sickening crack. He lurched forward after going through the motion, and caught himself just as he was going to hit the floor. The cry he heard hadn't been from Sasuke. It came from his own lips defiantly before the stinging tip of the whip even touched the raven.

And it almost didn't.

Due to his hysteria, Naruto had missed his target by a few inches. He slowly drew himself back to his feet and took his assaulting stance again.

"Remember," the pale man behind him called. "You can't afford to miss. It'll hurt more if you tap his shoulder like that again, and it won't even count."

Naruto snapped his gaze to Sasuke's right shoulder and, sure enough, it was brilliantly red. It seemed to glow with energy in contrast to the rest of his ashen skin. Naruto felt tears start to well up in his eyes, and he tried to blink them away.

"Don't forget the number either," Orochimaru warned. "It's one for every letter in the full name, plus one for every five years. Coincidentally, how many letters are in your name, Sasuke-kun?"

"Seventeen," the young raven spat back evenly, though his shoulder felt like it was on fire.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Well that's twenty even then," the pale man purred. "That's an awful lot Naru-chan. Don't miss."

Naruto bit his lip and raised the handle of the whip again. This time, he kept his eyes open, and he was dead on when the leather strip created a bright red line on Sasuke's back. And, true to his word, Sasuke didn't say anything. He just arched with the curve the whip was traveling in. His teeth were clenched tight, and his jaw was locked in place to keep him from crying out. Well, that was one down.

After the fifteenth slash, Sasuke wasn't so sure how long he could keep quiet though. The drug he'd taken only did so much to make it easier. He'd taken a beating before, but he was never whipped. And even if he had been, it would never have been so excessive. All he could think about anymore was the fire on his back and how the sweat dripped into the already searing cuts that oozed blood. The crimson liquid didn't mind though. It just slid down his back, staining his pants and socks as it traveled down his legs. Each new bite from the whip was added pain, and he just couldn't hold it in any longer. It was already hard to see, and he couldn't hear so well either.

"Oh come now, Naru-chan," Sasuke heard Orochimaru purr through the haze of his mind. "It's only one more."

Had he really been hit four times already? Sasuke couldn't be so sure. The skin on his back was raw and numb, so he couldn't feel much anymore. Either that, or Naruto was retracing slashes he'd already put in.

"Just do it," Orochimaru crooned in the background of Sasuke's senses. "I know you've got it in you. You're not as happy and sweet as you like to portray."

Naruto bit back a retort and just decided to get it over with. He brought the torturing strip down over Sasuke. This time, it snapped at his shoulder and continued its trek all the way down to his hip on the opposite side.

Sasuke felt that one. As soon as he heard the handle of the offensive thing clatter to the floor, he followed suit. Sasuke let his arms cave, and he slid down the wall until he met the cold surface underneath him. His torso fell forward so that his forehead rested on the wall, but Sasuke didn't care. At least it was over. He was sure he would have screamed had he been attacked one more time.

"Sasuke!!" Naruto cried as he ran forward to meet the raven. He sat behind him and pulled his head back so that it rested in his lap. Sasuke winced, and Naruto decided that pulling him up to a normal sitting position would be better. "Sasuke," he called again when he was re-situated.

The raven just sent a weary smirk the blonde's way. "I told you I wouldn't cry," he said before his eyes slid shut. He hadn't fainted, but he was sleeping. And it was a well deserved slumber. So much, that Naruto only layed him out on the floor and stood up.

"Congratulations, Naru-chan," the icy man behind him said. "I knew you had it in you."

Naruto took a shaky breath before turning to look at Orochimaru. He made sure that Sasuke was safe as he slept on his stomach before he said anything though.

"What is it, Naru-chan?"

"You know," the blonde started, staring down at his feet now, "he isn't Fugaku or Madara."

"I'm aware of this."

"And, I know he looks like it, but he isn't Itachi either, Orochi."

The club manager steeled his expression as he set his glass down. He gracefully removed himself from the couch he'd been occupying and indolently made his way over to the blonde that was no doubt ready to burst into tears. Orochimaru took him in his arms and held him tightly so that he couldn't shy away from his grasp.

"I know that, Naru-chan."

"Then why'd he have to go through that?!" the blonde cried, finally adjusting his gaze so that he could scowl at the man holding him.

"Apparently, one tragedy wasn't enough to teach you how to listen," the pale man hissed. "I would think that, after what happened to your parents, you'd learn to do as you're told."

Naruto's face twisted into a grimace of dispair at the thought. He just couldn't take that. He already knew, but someone telling him that it was his fault his parents were killed was too much.

When he started bawling, the older man spoke again. "Now, now. I was fair, wasn't I? I told you to tell me if you ever thought you liked someone. Had you don't that, he would have just gotten an early branding."

"You're gonna give him that too now, aren't you??" Naruto sobbed.

A cruel smirk wriggled onto the malevolent man's lips at that thought. "I am."

Naruto sniffed one more time before tearing from his boss's hold. "I hate you," he said as he wiped the tears from his face.

"Ah, but I still love you," the older man cooed, "even if you are a disobedient little fox."

"Oh no," the blonde said, snapping his glare on Orochimaru's lanky form. "I hate you to the very parameters of odium."

Orochimaru had never been witness, so he didn't know that Naruto had two other people that could take over for him. He was also unaware that they hadn't been evoked in a long time and that their concentrated forms were much more powerful due to rare usage. So, when Kityasha had come out, Orochimaru didn't know that he was to attack him.

The blonde lunged and managed to tackle Orochimaru to the ground. However, the older man was quick to recover from his shock. He delivered a quick, stunning chop to the blonde's neck, and he was out cold.

Orochimaru sighed as he grabbed both boys and hauled them off. "This is why I hate relationships..."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Naruto woke up the next day, he felt like he couldn't breathe. It wasn't like he had a sore throat or it was hot though. He honestly felt restricted. He sat up to rid himself of the terrifying phenomenon, but was jerked back with an abrupt snap.

Naruto lay amongst the white bedding in a daze. He was staring up at the ceiling, trying to process what was going on when he heard a rustle beside him. He sat up, much more slowly this time, and turned to see what it was. The gental tug he felt at the back of his neck told the blonde was going on.

He was chained. For the first time in his career, if you could call it that, he was actually being punished. The shock was overwhelming, and he had to lie back down again. Nestled in the pillows, he turned to look at who was in the room with him.

He wasn't so surprised.

"Hey, Tachi," he said, reaching out to tap the dozing man. He looked terrible from what Naruto could see, and it looked like he'd been in the same spot since Naruto had been dragged there. Most likely he was. If nothing else, it was so Orochimaru wouldn't go to the room and harrass the poor kid.

When the older man stirred, his eyes blinked open, and he gave his slightly fuzzy attention to the boy on the bed. He seemed to come alive when he saw that Naruto was awake.

"Ru!!" he exclaimed. He dropped from his chair and knelt at the bedside so as not to startle the tiny freshman. "Oh, God... are you alright? Snake-bastard didn't do anything, did he?"

"No," Naruto giggled. "You know he wouldn't if you said not to."

"Are you sure?" Itachi pressed. "You know I practically own this place. I just have to talk to Hoshigaki. You sure you don't want me to do anything?"

"I'm sure, Tachi."

Itachi sighed and deflated against the bed. "Alright... So... what did you do exactly?"

Naruto shrugged. "Not much... Aw... But he did make me 'initiate' Sasuke."

"...You can't be serious," the Uchiha ground out.

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. He really made me do it. Twenty lashes... Well, twenty-one if you count the miss."

"He made you do that?"

"Yeah," the blonde sighed miserably. "You know damn well that I wouldn't have if I didn't need to."

"That's it," the pony-tailed man declaired. "I'm going to kill him. I swear it. And you know I'm good for my promises."

"Come on, Tachi," Naruto whined. "Honestly, you don't have to."

Itachi just shook his head. "No. I've been saying it in the back of my mind for too long, Ru. I'm really going to do it."

"What about prison?"

"With my lovely record?" Itachi scoffed. "I'm headed there anyway."

Naruto sighed. He knew when Itachi was serious. And there was no way that he was going to change his mind.

"Fine," the small freshman said. "Do whatever you want, I don't care. Just... don't do it so that I know it really was you?"

"...Done."

"Hey... Tachi?" Naruto waited for some kind of response. He got one, so he asked, "Have you ever killed anyone before?"

"Well... not technically. But, I did if you want to count Sasuke. I crushed his heart and soul twice you know."

"...Twice?"

Itachi nodded. "When I left, but that wasn't the first time. He's the only one who knows about it, so he probably didn't say anything, but... I did try suicide once."

"Wh...What?! Why??"

Itachi threw a smirk in the blonde's direction. "What deeply depressed teenager hasn't? I was actually in the process when he walked in. I was being overly dramatic, so I was going to hang myself out over my balcony for the world to see."

"...What happened?"

Itachi sighed and folded his arms over the bed, resting his face in them. "Little Sasuke wasn't going to have the only person in the world he cared about offing himself. Especially after he just started school. So, when he saw me getting everything ready to jump (your father drove him home from school) he ran up to my room and burst in. I almost slipped over the banister because it startled me, actually."

"How'd he get you to give it up?"

"What else can a six year old kid do besides say, 'No!! I love you!!'? I had to come in after that. Then I promised never to do it again," he sighed.

"...Wow," Naruto mumbled.

"Yes... But that's a very disconcerting subject, don't you think?" Itachi asked, regaining his normal demeanor. "Maybe we ought to steer toward something else?"

"Sure." Naruto knew an evasion when he saw one, so he wasn't going to pursue it any further. Just when he was going to present another question, the door to the room he was being held in swung open.

"Ru!! Are you okay?!"

Deidara sighed from behind the raven in the doorway. "I tried to tell him that you were fine, un."

Naruto was going to ask what the older blonde was doing there, but Itachi read his mind. "He drove with me."

"...But you hate each other--"

"Naruto!!" Sasuke interrupted. He sprinted across the room and leapt onto the bed, not caring if he tugged at Naruto's relatively short chain. Once he was on the bed, he pulled the blonde up and hugged him close, not giving him a chance to answer his previous question. "Naruto, I'm so sorry!! Gaara told me as soon as they let me out, it's all my fault, and--!!"

"Out of where?" Naruto gasped when he was able to push Sasuke back a bit and inhale.

"What?" Sasuke had to grasp his fleeting thoughts since his ramble had been broken. When he had everything together again, he said, "Oh! Yeah... I got this little piece of shit as soon as I woke up." He turned slightly and jutted his thumb to his left shoulder blade. The skin there was charred and seemed to still be burning.

"That's the same one Tachi has," Naruto breathed.

"Is it?" Sasuke asked. "I've never seen his before."

When they looked to the older Uchiha, he shook his head. "Even though I _just_ got a touch up, I'm still an Uchiha. Snake-bastard doesn't care..."

"...What?"

Itachi sighed and stood from his spot. He removed his coat and tossed it in the chair he'd occupied previously. He turned around and moved his hair so that it rested on his shoulder. After all, Itachi didn't want to upset himself. Slow and gently, he pulled his shirt up over his head. Moving his hair was a good idea because, if he hadn't, it would have fallen into the fresh burns on his back. That wouldn't be too great either, considering what it was.

There, taking up the majority of his ashen skin, was his original branding design. He had the Uchiha crest burned onto his back. His old scars from his own whipping shone through very faintly now that it'd been so long. The huge fan still looked pink around the edges, so it looked like he'd gotten it done very recently.

After what he felt like was a long enough time, Itachi carefully put his shirt and coat back on. "See? He won't let us match, you know. Everyone must be unique."

"Then why didn't he just give that to me?" Sasuke asked, truly confused. The way he saw it, a new person should get things the bad end of things.

Itachi just shrugged. "You just met him. I hate that man more than anyone else will deem possible, so he hates me as well. And, I can overthrow him whenever I want. The Shark likes me, Tobi likes him, and Tobi barks at Pein. And Tobi loves Ru. I can take over Akatsuki at any time I please."

"I'm sorry...?"

Itachi sighed and rolled his yes. "In simplier terms, Little Brother, he's afraid of me. Besides, I wouldn't let him give it to you."

"Right, right. Thanks." Sasuke gave his wary attention back to Naruto. "So you're really okay? Nothing hurts or anything??"

"No," the blonde chuckled. "I'm fine."

"That's good," Sasuke breathed with a relieved sigh. "Well, so long as you're fine..." He wasted no time in dropping down to kiss Naruto. When he finally let the smaller teen up to breathe again, he was smashed into the pillows, and a flush was spread across his face headed down his chest.

"You know," Naruto panted, "I'm not dressed under here. You really shouldn't be sitting on me."

"You know," Sasuke sneered, "I really don't care. I shouldn't be bounding around with the crap on my back, but I'm still doing it... And that reminds me of something."

"What?"

Sasuke leaned down over Naruto and pressed his lips lightly to his nose. "You still haven't given me my name, Ru."

"That's right," Naruto sighed. He really didn't want to be reminded of what he'd done the day before. Let alone by Sasuke. "Mmm... I'm thinking Kitty."

Sasuke furrowed his brow and sat up. "Kitty? Why?"

"Well, you do look just like mine."

The raven frowned and playfully ran his hand across the blonde's face. "Be serious."

"I am," Naruto laughed. "I think Kitty works for you, 'Suke."

"Why?"

"Well, when Halloween comes around, you'll definitely be paired up with Vulpes-- the Fox. Besides, you've got those feline characteristics."

"Like what?" Sasuke snapped.

"Like your attitude." He took a moment to relish in Sasuke's pissed look. "And, of course, that mysterious aura, your agility, and flexabiliy. Yes, Kitty works quite well if you ask me."

Sasuke sighed and reclined onto Naruto again. "Fine," he said drawing patterens on the sheets with his finger. "I'll tell Orochimaru the next time I see him."

"No need," the blonde boasted. "There's a camera in here. He got everything, I promise."

"Great," Sasuke sighed. "That means I don't have to move. This is quite comfortable, you know."

Naruto scoffed. "You're lucky I can't move, 'Suke. Otherwise, I'd throw you across the room."

"Then I couldn't take you to Kiba's party on Saturday," Sasuke argued.

"Sasuke, when's the last time you even went to a party?"

"Other than business?"

Naruto nodded.

"Never," Itachi offered. "He was invited, but he never went to them. He went to Hyuuga's once, but it was a dinner party. That hardly counts."

"You know," Sasuke griped, "if I need your help with remembering something, I'll ask for it, thanks."

"But I haven't been able to embarrass you in so long, Little Brother."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and gave his attention back to Naruto. "Why do you ask?"

"Well," Naruto started, just a bit unnerved now that he'd had time to think about it. "I just wanted to make sure that you knew _normal_ party etiqutte and demeanor. You don't seem like that kind of person you know."

"Hn. You're just a regular Socrates, aren't you?"

"No, I'm serious," the blonde whined. "I'm not taking you out if you don't know how to act."

"Well... be happy to know that I do actually have knowledge of that sort of thing," Sasuke said as he sat up, an air of pissiness about him.

"Don't get mad," Naruto chuckled as he reached up to grab him. Since his chain was unusually short, he could only go so far, and Sasuke decided that he should just appease him.

"Hypocrite," the young raven sighed as he let Naruto wrap his arms around his neck.

"How?"

"Why do you think he did this to you, huh?" Sasuke pulled at one of the chain's links making it tug at Naruto.

"I actually don't know," the whiskered teen sighed. He seemed to deflate, so Sasuke thought he'd make things better.

"Well, I do believe he said he did it because a certain blonde brat got mad." Sasuke took in the agitated look he'd caused Naruto to cast at him before dropping down on his lips. "You can't get upset over stuff like that," he sighed after he let the younger boy go.

"Oh, yeah. But you can get mad if someone looks at me the wrong way, right?"

"Right," Sasuke said, tugging on Naruto's hair a bit. "Because I'm just so much more feral than you."

"If you say so..."

There was a silence in the room for about five seconds before Itachi got up. He stopped at the door before leaving. "I'll go see if I can convince him to let you out early. I believe I can trust Sasuke not to kill you while I'm gone."

"Thanks," both boys on the bed called back.

"I'll get off just to make you feel better, too," Sasuke said as he slid to Naruto's side. He hugged him instead of squashing him under his weight.

Itachi nodded and left with Deidara. "I'll be back to take you home," he called back to the room.

"Thanks!!" the two teens called back again. After getting let out early, Naruto convinced Itachi to let Sasuke stay the rest of the day at their house and sleep off the pain from their new wounds-- both physical and emotional. Sasuke ended up staying the night, even though he hadn't been home since the day before. They slept all through Friday as well. Face it, no one can take as much as Sasuke did without saying anything. And Naruto wasn't going to deprive him of his slumber.

* * *

yeah... i feel aweful... aaawww well. you won't kill me... i hope ( 


	32. Bonding Time

comments? forwards?? what are those? XD but seriously, I'm in school guys. I'll try to add something like.. when i get home or tomorrow

* * *

"Sasuke, give it up!!" Naruto laughed from his spot on his bed. "There's absolutely no way it's going to work, man!!"

"Shut up!!" Sasuke called back. He shot Naruto a dirty look over his shoulder before turning back to look at himself in the mirror. the blonde was right; it just wasn't going to work. Naruto's clothes were just way too small to fit. The mansion was too far away. The party started in less than an hour. And Sasuke was just shit out of luck.

"You gotta do it!!" the smaller teen cried from behind the raven. "If you don't, we'll never make it."

Sasuke pulled the too-small shirt up over his head and threw it to the floor before turning to the giggling idiot on the bed. "Celebrities always make a late entrance, you know," he snarled.

"Maybe," Naruto agreed, "but you aren't going alone. No one's going to care if you bring someone. Then you'll just look like the dork who can't get ready on time!!"

Sasuke keened as he turned back to the mirror, not missing the cheek-splitting grin on Naruto's face. The brunette had been asleep for two days straight. Of course, it was justifiable, but he didn't care. Sasuke didn't keep clothes at the Uzuchiha household; there was no reason. But he was in a predicament because of it. His suit was ruined due to the blood that stained the pants. His shirt had gotten splatters on it, as well as the jacket. He didn't fit Naruto's clothes. And he couldn't go anywhere naked.

Sasuke growled before storming over to the door between the bedroom and the hallway. He tried the knob, knowing that it wouldn't open, and began to pound on it instead. After futile efforts, he kicked it and crossed his arms as he leaned against it grumpily.

Soon after, the door pushed open, and he scrambled away so that he didn't fall over.

"Is there a reason that you need to wake the dead, Little Brother?" Itachi asked as he peered into the room.

"You gotta do it!!" Naruto shouted from the bed. "Do it, 'Suke!! You're outta options!!"

Sasuke frowned and shot Naruto a glare that should have impaled him on the spot. Instead, it just evoked another fit of laughter.

"What is it, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, clearly peeved.

Sasuke wasn't one to fluster, at least not until it came to dealing with his feelings about Naruto. So, when he started to blush and avert his gaze, Itachi knew that something was wrong. He sighed and pushed the door open all of the way. Standing in the door, he glared down at Sasuke. Peering at his red brother, he asked, "What is it?"

"I need something," the younger raven mumbled.

"What do you need?"

"Well what does it look like?!" Sasuke snapped back. He sputtered through the whole thing, but that was basically what he said.

Itachi pushed Sasuke further in the room and looked him up and down. The only thing he wore was mussed hair and a pair of boxers.

"I presume you need clothes??" he guessed. He took the silence as an answer. "Very well, follow me."

Sasuke was still a bit crumpled what with his pride and all, so it took him a few seconds to actually parade behind his brother in his almost naked state. He was glad that he did, however. Itachi was willing to let Sasuke raid his closet of whatever he needed. They were basically the same build, save for a slight height difference, so most of what he had should have fit. Sasuke decided to get it done quickly and grab something that was acceptable. A simple shirt and jeans would have worked. Too bad that Itachi didn't have any.

"Sasuke," Itachi called from the door way.

"What?" the irritated teen called back. He was already pissed that he had to borrow his brother's clothes. He didn't need to be reminded that he was there.

"I've got clothes that are actually deemed suitable for this type of thing, you know."

"Honestly?" Sasuke breathed.

"Yes. They're in that wardrobe over there."

Sasuke felt a slight skip in his mood as he approached the wardrobe on the other side of the room. He pulled the doors open and peered inside, only slightly shocked at what he saw. He selected his outfit and was putting it on when he posed a question to his brother.

"Aniki," he called as he popped his head through the shirt.

"Yes?"

"You know that these aren't even in production, right?" Sasuke asked. "Naruto just submitted these designs a short while ago."

"Your point being...?"

"Well, how do you have them?" Sasuke asked as he pulled up the zipper to his jeans.

Itachi sighed as he knelt down beside his bed. He fished underneath for a pair of old sneakers. "Did you forget that Orochimaru is on the Uchiha production committee?"

"Well, no but--"

"That's how," Itachi stated as he tossed the older footwear to his brother. "I just tell him to get them for me."

"And he does?"

Itachi shrugged. "I told you he was scared, Little Brother. I wasn't kidding. So long as it doesn't pretain to the club, he'll do anything I say in a heartbeat."

"...Sure," Sasuke said as he looked at himself in the mirror. He had to hand it to Naruto; the kid knew what looked good. Sasuke wasn't one for the punk-prep look, but he pulled it off rather well. Especially with Naruto's designs.

The shirt was casual, yet beguiling. It was one of those double layered ones. It had a shirt with short blue sleeves on top, and then a set of longer white ones that ran out from underneath of that. At the elbow and end of those white sleeves, there were blue adjustable straps that Sasuke tightened as far as they would go without killing him. The collar was white, and it came out from under the top part of the shirt. It easily covered up his new wounds. The Uchiha crest looked like a lapel pin.

As for pants, they were tacky, but they worked. You usually only saw white jeans on a chick, but he liked them. At least they weren't so tight that they looked painted on. They even flared a bit at the bottom. There were little belt like straps on these too, but they blended in. They could only be seen because they protruded out at the sides. The Uchiha crest was stamped onto the back pocket.

Lastly, he wore an old-school pair of Uchiha Air Classics. They didn't look like they'd been worn too much either. Nice.

But, he was still Sasuke, so he had to gripe about something, even if he didn't really mean it. "Are there enough belts on this getup or what? Even the shoes have buckles," he said sardonically.

"Well, if you don't like them," Itachi countered, "you can just take it off."

Sasuke gave some offhand excuse under his breath before heading into his brother's bathroom. Once inside, he set out on a search for hair gel and a brush. Since Sasuke used the same hair-care products as Itachi did, he was sure that his hair would be alright and _not_ turn green or something ridiculous like that.

Having found what he was looking for, Sasuke brought them out on the counter. He spread his hands out in front of him and stared at his reflection. He didn't have to do much to his locks since they had retained shape through his extended slumber, but he didn't want to wear the same thing. Even Naruto did something to his horrendous hair. He'd forced some of the unkempt mess into side sweeping bangs, and the rest was pulled back in a low, spikey pony-tail. It didn't look as long as it really was, but that would be awful if it did. So his hair was fine.

However, that was why Sasuke wanted to do _something_ to his. But, the only thing he knew besides his predominate style was the way he wore it for business. No one wanted to see that.

"Having trouble?" Itachi asked. At some point during Sasuke's musings, he'd leaned an arm against the doorframe and held himself there. He was probably wondering why it was, exactly, that Sasuke was just squinting begrudgingly at his reflection.

Sasuke scoffed and sent a side glance at his older sibling. "What's it to you?"

"Well," the elder Uchiha reasoned, "you _are_ in my bathroom. I'd like to think you weren't planning to actually use it."

Sasuke rolled his eyes before turning his head to look at his brother. "I'm debating on my hair," he grumbled.

"Honestly, Sasuke," Itachi sighed, "you shouldn't have a problem with this."

"Says you!!" the younger raven barked. "You just tie yours up in a pony-tail and _poof!_ You're done!"

Itachi tsked his little brother before positioning himself behind him in the large bathroom. He raised his hands, then thought better of it. "Do you mind?" he asked, just in case.

"Are you going to fix it?" Sasuke asked incredously.

Itachi scoffed before picking up the brush from the counter and tapping Sasuke on the head with it. More like bashing really, but there's a thing called tough love, and they were both used to it.

"I was the one who taught you how to do it like _that_," the older man boasted. "I believe I can think something else up."

"Fine," Sasuke sighed. "Just... do it quickly before Ru catches us."

Itachi chuckled lightly before smashing Sasuke's hair down with the brush so that he could start from scratch. With Sasuke's now stereotypical Asian hair laid out in front of him, Itachi squeezed a generous amount of gel into his palm. He ran it through the onyx locks quickly and lightly so that he could still maneuver them.

Using the same brush, he gave Sasuke a side sweep that wound up covering his entire right eye. After that he made sure that there were no knots in the back before teasing Sasuke's hair from underneath with his fingers. It looked tousled, but natural. Itachi ran his fingers through the slightly tangled mass a few times to lay it down and get rid of the frizz.

"There," he said as he made his way over to the sink. "Simple, yet distinguished."

Sasuke looked at it from about eight angles before nodding in agreement. "Something's missing though."

"...Do you want jewelry?" Itachi asked while he dried off his hands. The thought shocked him a bit, but he wasn't as surprised to see Sasuke nod with a slight tint on his cheeks.

"Hm..." Itachi contemplated on what else he could do to help his brother. "Well, gold is far too gaudy, even for you. And your necklace is silver anyway."

"Silver it is then."

Itachi nodded, then he moved over to a cabinet next to one of the mirrors. He reached inside and pulled down a small wicker basket, setting it down on the counter. He called Sasuke over with a hand gesture and started digging through the various pieces inside.

"Do you wear an earring?" he asked, never looking up from his task.

"Yeah, in both ears."

That made Itachi stop. "Both? How?"

Sasuke smirked from under his new bangs. "I tend to wear both when I go out."

"Out where?" Itachi demanded.

Sasuke laughed before leaning back on the counter. "Does it matter? I'm not your kid, and I'm still alive, aren't I?"

Itachi grumbled something to himself about bratty teenagers as he continued his hunt. "Alright," he said as he finally straightened out. "Put these in, and I'll do the rest."

"Uh, rest?" Sasuke repeated as he fixed the small hoop earrings into place.

"Yes, the rest," Itachi sighed as he went back to his bedroom. "Its been a while since I've gone to an actual party as well. I figure I'll live it through you."

"Admit it," Sasuke said following him out. "You just want to doll me up."

"Is that a crime?"

"Believe it or not," Sasuke scowled, "I am a guy. Not some six-two model backstage at the runway. I don't enjoy this."

"Well, just deal with it," Itachi deadpanned. He returned from a dresser he'd been digging in and held up a row of belts for Sasuke to choose from.

"...You don't think I have enough?" the younger brunette inquired. "Honestly."

"Just pick one," his brother sighed.

Sasuke pointed to a red one that was studded with spikes. Itachi looked at it in disbelief. "You're serious?" he asked.

"Yeah," the freshman shrugged. "I like red."

"If you say so," Itachi said as he laid the belts down on the bed. He went back to the same closet and returned with a tie that matched the belt Sasuke had chosen. The older Uchiha fashioned it so that it was on, but it was loose and somewhat disorderly. He snapped the belt in place without threading it through the loops. It hung lopsidedly from Sasuke's waist.

"You can leave my room now," Itachi stated.

"...Are you sure you're finished?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.

"After you put this on, then yes," Itachi explained as he held up a bracelet on two fingers. Sasuke sighed and took it. It was the kind that was thick like a wristband and just snapped shut around somebody. It matched his belt.

Sasuke decided that he wouldn't try to make a smart comment at risk of being dressed up anymore. He just left and made his way back to Naruto's room. He knew better than to try and get the address anymore. It's not like he wasn't there all the time anyway. He might as well move in considering how he was there more often than home with his parents. They probably hadn't even noticed that he was missing yet. Although... his mother was on a new nice-ness trip...

Sasuke reached the door to Naruto's room and was gonig to open it when the knob turned from the other side on its own. Naruto put his head out, eyes closed, and shouted.

"SASUKEEEEE!!! YOUR MOM JUST CALLLLLLLLED!!!"

"Dammit I'm right here!!" the raven cried back, nowhere near as loud. He'd been knocked over from shock, so being on the floor might have played a part in his lower volume.

Hearing the voice below him, Nauto opened his eyes and looked down. A smile made its way to his face as he thrust Sasuke's phone at him. "It's your mom, man. See what she wants."

"Thanks..." the Uchiha groaned as he took the small device. He put it to his ear with a sigh while he got up and followed Naruto in the room, closing the door behind him. "Moshi moshi?"

"Sasuke!!" his mother cried. He had to pull it from his ear due to shock and potential damage. He had to put it back when he realized she was still talking though. "...for days!! Where are you??"

"Ah... I-I'm at a friend's house, Mother."

Mikoto sighed from her end of the call. "Why didn't you tell us??"

"I didn't think you'd actually mind," Sasuke explained, still a bit shaken.

"Well... when will you be back? You know I worry."

That was when Sasuke decided that he'd gone crazy. Her? Worry? About _him??_ Of all people. She always said it was his fault that Itachi left in the first place. Why the hell was she worried about him? Last time he checked, Sasuke didn't have anyone who really did care about where he was like that other than Naruto.

"Are you there, Sasuke?"

"Y-yes," he said, leaving his jumbled thoughts.

"When will you be home??" Mikoto persisted.

"Ah... T-tonight I guess..."

"At least come back so I know you're okay?" his mother pressed.

"Of course... Bye, Mother." Sasuke got a bye and disconnected the call before she could say anything else.

"You alright?" Naruto asked from his dresser. Being him and his uncaring self, he was putting on make-up.

"A little shocked actually," Sasuke admitted. He tossed the phone onto the bed and sauntered over to drape himself over Naruto's small figure. "That was my mother."

"I know that," Naruto said, rolling his eyes. Which wasn't such a good idea since he was putting on mascara. "I answered the phone, remember?"

"Yeah... shocked, you know?"

Naruto nodded and continued with his applications. Sasuke just watched in the mirror as Naruto made faces and got gussied up. A question just ripped itself from his tongue though. He couldn't help it.

"Do you enjoy this?" he asked bluntly.

"...What?" Naruto squeaked as he put away his blush brush.

"This stuff," Sasuke elaborated. "Do you enjoy doing it? The make-up I mean."

"Well..." Naruto struggled. "I wouldn't say that I... enjoy it. I am used to using it though. It's a habit, I guess."

"Do people notice that you have it on?" the raven asked. He wasn't trying to embarrass the kid, he really did just want to know. It wasn't his goal to get Naruto to blush the way he was now. That was just a plus he got for being inquisitive.

"I dunno. I don't think they do," the blonde mumbled. "I wear it so much... I don't think anyone can tell anymore."

"Oh..." Sasuke looked at the various utensils used for making someone's face pretty for a while before another question hit him. "Does Aniki wear it?"

"...Some yeah."

"Like what?"

"Uhh... Eyeliner and... mascara I think. That could be natural though."

"He wears nail polish," Sasuke observed. "It might be make-up."

"...Okay... So??" Naruto was honestly confused by the conversation. Every time they were going to do something new together, the older freshman always got so retarded that Naruto could hardly call him Sasuke anymore. Especially now. He didn't even look like Sasuke at the moment.

"Wonder what I'd look like..."

Naruto's thoughts just came to a screeching hault. He physically heard the wreck in his mind as the statement sunk in. Sasuke-- his Sasuke!!-- was debating on whether or not he wanted to put on make-up.

The world had to be ending.

"Are the two of you still not ready?" Itachi sighed as he finally got around to going to the room to hurry them along.

"Tachiiiiii..." Naruto drawled. "'Suke wants to try make-up."

"What?" Itachi asked disbelievingly. "He just bitched at me for dressing him up, and now he wants to put powder on his face? Are you sure he's not the one with the split personality disorder??"

"Well... he just wants to try his eyes," Naruto reasoned. "Maybe he's just curious??"

Itachi scoffed at the doorway then made it over to the couple in front of the mirror. He plucked Sasuke off of the blonde and held him at arms' length. Eying him, Itachi asked, "You're serious??"

Sasuke flushed, only slightly, and stared back defiantly. "Yes," he said, trying to keep his voice free of his embarrassment.

Itachi smirked down at his little brother's attempted scowl and watched it vanish under his harsh gaze. "Alright," he said as he reached over to the dresser, keeping his left hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Do you want it the way I do mine?"

"I-I guess so," Sasuke stammered. He was brave, and he could take pain, but he never really embraced the fact that he wasn't attracted to women. Putting on make-up had to be the epitome of homosexuality for a guy, and Sasuke wasn't so sure he was ready to show the world that he was gay.

Itachi couldn't help but laugh inside at Sasuke's undecided-ness, so a tiny smile wiggled itself onto his lips.

"Don't laugh!!" Sasuke barked when he caught sight of it. "This isn't funny!!"

"If you say so... Kitty." Itachi let a small chuckle escape at Sasuke's peeved grimace at the usage of the name. Naruto was a good man to pick something to easy to make fun of. He had a sense of humor if nothing else.

"Damn you..." Sasuke grumbled to himself as Itachi leisurely opened up Naruto's eyeliner.

"You don't mind, do you?" he asked the blonde. "Mine is rather expensive... and across the house."

"You just don't want to waste your Victoria's Secret," Naruto teased. "But, no, it's fine."

Ignoring the comment, Itachi went to work. It was hard to keep Sasuke from fluttering his eyelid, so he wound up having to pull it still just to get a thin line in place. After he'd done that, and Sasuke was done complaining about having his brother's thumb in his eye, Itachi grabbed the mascara. He made quick work of Sasuke's lashes and put it back, proud that he was able to even get anything on that fidgety boy.

"... Oh man!!" Naruto cried as he looked at the finished product. He gasped again as his initial shock sunk in. "No one can say you two aren't related!!"

Confused, Sasuke pushed the tiny blonde out of the way and looked at himself in the mirror. "Oh... that's absolutely revolting..."

"Excuse me?" Itachi called.

Sasuke sent his gaze in his brother's direction. "Why the _hell_ do I look just like you?" he demanded.

Itachi just shrugged. "Unlike most children of this world, we have the same parents. I bet that your baby sibling, if you ever see it, will look just like you."

"...I'd hope not," the younger Uchiha mumbled. Missing the fact that Itachi said 'if' rather than 'when.' Naruto, however, did not, but it wasn't his place to persue the subject. He let it go and switched over to his tyrannical mode.

"Hey," he said, calling both brothers to order. "We have to go sometime _soon_ you know!! I'd like to get there and ditch Sasuke so I can mess with Kiba, thanks."

"Aren't you nice..."

"Shut up, Kitty!!" Naruto barked. "Now come on. I seriously want to go. I was actually ready on time, you know."

"Yeah, yeah," Sasuke said with a wave of the hand. "Come on," he said, heading for the door. He pushed through it and stopped, knowing better than to keep going. When Naruto was out in the hall with him, Sasuke grabbed hold of the blonde's shirt from the back of his collar and placed a hand over his eyes. He trailed behind Naruto out to the car, and he was free to see again once they were a little ways away. They were finally headed out to the party. He had to admit, he was just a little excited about it. After all, he'd never been to a real party before.

* * *

yeah... turns out that 33 isn't the only filler chappy  
this one is my brotherly-bonding set up.

brotherly-bonding...  
I'd say that's very _effeminate_.  
they _bond_ like me and my little 12 year old sister

for once, no mature content at _all_ lol

PS-- I love the fact that his name is Kitty!! I'm infatuated with the nekomimi Sasuke 


	33. Notsofun Party

Well guess, I must say that I truly am sorry. I won't give you my excuses, because you probably don't really care about them. HOWEVER!! I have to inform you. After my long absesnce ((i lost that damned flashdrive again)) I must take a break. Don't kill me!! I have to edit these two books so we can ship them to the publisher and be done with it. AFter that, I'll get on MaL, it's sequal, and Fiance again. Promise.

Now about this chapter... IT sucks. lol. honestly, I wrote it while i was sick so... some stuff just doesn't flow all that well. But, I tried. I told you all it was just a filler chapter, but there are a few important things in there. I'll tell you those at the end

OH YES!!! I didn't come up with this all by myself. Imagine that... lawlz. naw, the whole karaoke thing came from xXkawaii-chanXx. go read my story now lol

* * *

"Hey, 'Suke?" Naruto called as he and his companion made thier way up the walk to Kiba's house. 

"Hn?"

"... Didn't I make those clothes?" the blonde asked. He took a few seconds to assess the get up one more time before nodding to himself in agreement. "Yeah, I did."

"Then why ask?" Sasuke grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Because it's so cute!!" Naruto gushed. "I never thought that I'd actually be good at something like that... So seeing you wear it, and pull it off so well by the way, just makes me so happy!!"

"... Sure you're not bipolar as well?" the raven asked, looking away from the overly ecstatic mess beside him. "I mean, you've got so many _other_ things wrong with you..."

"Oh,. you're just soooo nice, Uchiha," the blonde grumbled. "Really, why haven't you gotten the Nobel Peace Prize yet?"

"Tough love," Sasuke chimed. "Now get over it. I don't want you upset when I come running because those girls want to ambush me."

"You mean if they recognize you, right?" the blonde asked. It didn't seem likely that anyone would since he didn't look like himself at all anymore. "I mean, how will they know it's the glorious Sasuke-- the only remaining Uchiha-- coming in with me?"

"... I guess that does pose a good point..." Sasuke mused on the subject for a while until he realized that they'd reached the door. He raised his hand to knock, but stopped short. "Hey, you aren't really gonna ditch me, are you?"

Naruto gave him a devilish smirk before knocking on the door himself. "Why would you ask me that question??"

After what seemed like an eternity, the door swung open and Kiba, with Kankurou draped around his neck, was grinning out at Naruto and his guest. "Hey Porn-star!!" he cried in greeting. "... Who's that?"

Naruto just grinned back and threw an arm over Sasuke's shoulders. "This is 'Suke after a glorious make over from that dead housemate of mine!!"

"Seriously?!" Kiba gawked. "No way!! Why'd he come out so gorgeous??"

Sasuke scoffed, but just as he was going to make a retort, Naruto beat him to it. "Now what kind of question was that? Would I date him if he wasn't gorgeious to begin with??"

"Gee, I dunno," Kiba sighed, rolling his eyes. "Fact being that you've never dated anyone _before_..."

"Shut it!!" Naruto interjected. "Party. Inside. Let's go!!"

"Yeah, yeah," Kiba chuckled. "Come on in." He moved aside, dragging Kankurou with him in the process, and held the door open for his two new guests.

"Well!" Naruto cried, thumping Sasuke on the back when they were finally in. "Welcome to your first party 'Suke!!"

Sasuke didn't say much, hell he couldn't. A party? A real party? He wasn't paying much attention to Naruto at that moment. He'd thrown small things in his basement when the other businessmen brought their heirs over, but it was never anything like he'd imagined a real party to be like. And that was okay because he was a businessman. But this was too much!!

Back when he used to watch television, Sasuke saw parties all the time. Or, what they were portrayed to look like rather. And, to be frank, Kiba's house was the epitome of all revelry. There were the basics: the balloons, the snacks, the music, but he had a lot of other things there as well. Like, the gaming systems hooked up to the huge tvs in the various rooms. And the pool out back for anyone to use. There was also a 'gameroom' if the modern daty entertainment didn't please you-- you could go to Kiba's collective arcade in the back. And, of course, there was alcohol because it was Kiba, afterall. He didn't drink it, but he knew people who did.

"Sa. Suke," Naruto called as he poked him in the arm. "Dude, calm down. You can't freak out iike that."

"I didn't," Sasuke grumbled, looking away as his hands slid into his pockets.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Sure you didn't. You just always stare off into blank space with this scared as hell look on your face, right?"

"...Truely," the raven spat, "you are an evil little man."

"Tch!" The blonde stuck up his nose and crossed his arms. "Whatever, everyone loves me for it."

"Yeah, because they don't see it concentrated the way I do, right?"

Naruto scowled at Sasuke from under his lovely new bangs. Uncouth thoughts ran through his mind for a while before something caught his eye over Sasuke's shoulder. He forrowed his brow and moved the ashen teen out of the way so that he could see what it was. There were a few groans, but they were drowned out by the insane cries of joy and mutters of embarrassment soon enough. Who couldn't guess what it was? What else was better suited for a huge tv than an XBox 360?

A karaoke machine, that's what.

Naruto's eyes lit up like the ocean had just been hit with the most brilliant ray of the moonlight ever. If he was going to do anything that night, it was get Sasuke to sing on the damn thing. Even if he didn't want to. Naruto would move his mouth for him if he had to!! He just had to get his bitch-raven punk to sing.

"Alright, alright!!" came Kiba's voice through the microphone. "Calm down, girls, calm down!!" He laughed and then waited a while for things to get quiet. When there was an eerie hush covering the room like a wet blanket, he started up in his most flamboyant voice ever. "Oooookay!!" he cried. "Just like every party I've ever thrown, there is a spot just for karaoke!!"

Sasuke turned around to see that. Who the hell did karaoke with a bunch of high schoolers??

"And, as you probably know this as well," the painted teen went on, "I get first pick of who sings this shit!!" There were cries from the room where he was again, and hands started waving in the air. Since he couldn't really see with everyone like that, Kiba stepped up onto the fireplace ledge and looked out over the three rooms he could see: the living room, the social room, and the entrance. Only two people were there.

"Kiba!! Pick me!!"

"Ohhh... Please Kiba!! You know how I love this!!"

"Come on, Inuzuka!!"

"Kiba!! You dated my sister man!! Let me do it!!"

Just to get on pepple's nerves, Kiba crossed his arms, hiding the mic in the process. He pretended to be deep in thought, but everyone knew that Kiba didn't think about anything. He was just being a bitch...

Finally, he untangled himself and held the mic up in the air. Bringing it back down he said, "Welp!! I've made my choice!!" He stopped for the pleas and groans. "The first person up is... Kank'!!"

"What?!" the purple boy cried from his seat a few yards away.

"I'm kidding!!" Kiba grinned. "I wouldn't do that to my boyfriend man!! However!! I will do it to someone else's..."

There was a silence. No guy wanted to go first. They all knew they sounded like crap!! Well, except for the one that was that girl's brother, but he doesn't really matter. Besides, he was single.

"NARUTO!!" Kiba called. "Get up here you turd!!"

Naruto beamed from his spot beside Sasuke before bounding away. Leaving Sasuke at the doorway. Alone. For everyone to see as the yellow spot caught everyone's attention.

"Oh my gawd!! Is that _Sasuke-kun?!_"

"I think you're right!!"

"Ahhh!! He's so hot!!"

"But he's at Kiba's party?!"

"Seriously..."

"Well... we've been coming for ages, so it's okay!! That means he thinks Kiba's cool!!"

"Alright!!"

Sasuke ignored them and turned his attention to the retreating blonde. He shot well aimed daggers dipped in poison at Naruto's back with his eyes. If he got enough in, he just might die right there on his way up to Kiba...

"Didn't he say someone else's boyfriend??"

That one caught Sasuke's attention.

"Hey, yeah... I wonder who it is?"

"Naruto's taken?!"

"By who?! Wouldn't we know by now??"

"She's not from another school, is she?!"

Sasuke scoffed as he snaked his way through the crowd. Apparently, Naruto really was popular with the girls like he said he was. And apparently, the girls were some sort of high intelligence network if they were freaking out about not knowing Naruto was dating someone. That might mean some trouble...

"What are you gonna sing for us this time, Naruto?" Kiba asked now that the blonde was up there. Sasuke finally broke through the crowd and took a seat by Kankurou.

"Ooh!!" Sakura cried from in the crowd. "Naruto!! Do the Hell Song!! I love how you sing that one!!"

"No way!!" Ino cried. "Naruto!! Do Frou Frou!! The hero one!!"

"Hey," Kiba interrupted. "How about we let him pick, huh?"

Naruto was already way ahead of them. Since Kiba's place was practically his second home, he was allowed to touch the karaoke machine, so he was cycling through songs already. He used to just do new ones, but he'd done all of them at least three times already. He decided it was time to switch out the CD for a change.

"What's this??" Kiba cried when Naruto popped it open. "Is he, dare I say it, switching from his normal disk?!"

"Yes, Kiba, I am," the tiny blonde said rolling his eyes. "I've done all these songs how many times?"

"Alright, alright, I see where you're coming from, Porn-star. So which one are you gonna do?"

Naruto didn't say anything, he just dropped the CD in place and shut the machine-- flipping to the song he'd chosen too of course. Clearing his throat, he held his hand out for the mic. When he made sure it fell into Naruto's palm, Kiba got down from the fireplace and made a little clearing in front of it. He dragged a table-- one that they used especially for this in his house-- to the center and grabbed one that matched it from across the room to from a makeshift stage.

As soon as Kiba stepped aside, Naruto jumped up on the tables and made sure they were sturdy before pointing a finger at his friend. "Turn 'em off Kiba!!"

"You got it!!" Kiba grabbed a remote from where he was sitting next to Kankurou and the lights went out. The only light was from the other room. the tv wasn't even showing any words on it. "What? You know the song??"

"Every word," the blonde said with a mischievous grin. He winked at the crowd before hitting the play button.

The first few seconds played, and everyone could have died happy. Naruto kept his head down, his free hand out in front of him, the other at his side, as the intro played. He snapped to attention when he spoke the first words.

"I'm bringing sexy back... Yeah!! Them other boys don't know how to act... Yeah!!"

Sasuke just watched from next to Kankurou, shocked. Naruto, his Naruto-- the one who hated his double life-- was singing _Sexy Back_?! The human race was going to die out tomorrow, for sure.

"Uchiha!!" Kiba cried from his boyfriend's other side. "You look like you could die right about now!!"

"...Do you hear that??" Sasuke gawked. "D-do you see it??"

"You mean Naruto rubbing up on the girls that want to dance with him??" Kiba chirped. "Totally."

"What? Dancing? Since when...?" Sasuke turned back to look at what was going on on the stage and his jaw dropped. About ten girls, Sakura and Ino included, were on the stage with the tiny blonde. And they all found some way or another to grind on him. And he just kept singing his JT song.

"Dirty babe... You see these shakles? Baby, I'm your slave..." The girls opted to sing the 'uh-huh' for him in the background.

"...Did they not hear you say that he was taken?" Sasuke sneered. "Or are they all just a litter of whores?"

"Ooh.. scornfull much??" Kiba leaned over Kankurou's lap and nudged Sasuke. "Dude, why don't you just do the same thing??"

"Because I'm not a _man_-whore."

Kiba grinned from ear to ear with an evil glint in his eye. "Are you sure about that?"

"...Excuse me?" the raven dead-panned.

"Care to do the honors, Kank'?" the painted freshman asked.

Kankurou just gave Sasuke a wary look before reaching out behind him to tap his shoulder lightly with two fingers. Sasuke cringed away, careful not to yelp, and instinctively covered the spot with his hand.

"What the hell?!" he hissed.

"Ha," Kiba scoffed. "Like I can't tell a prostitute when I see one... Seriously. You all do the same thing if you work for that loser..."

"What?" Sasuke nearly snarled that single word, and it made Kiba drop his brash exterior. To be frank, it frightened him how feral Sasuke could be. So he was careful of how he put his next statement.

"Well.. Subakuno just wore a bandage... but he wouldn't even participate in PE when he first got his done," Kiba explained. "It was only half of what he has now, but still... And Naruto-- he was ridiculous. He wouldn't even let you near him since it was so vulnerable. I really was a guard dog when he first got that thing done."

"And how does that peg me?"

Kiba grinned again. "You've never really been one to check your back, Uchiha. Those girls were always behind you, and they make your bile churn. You started looking over your shoulder so much... what else was I supposed to think? I heard about your disappearance at that little get-together you had."

"... I don't like talking to you, Kiba, so what say you that we back this conversation up?" It didn't really sound like a suggestion, more iike a command if anything, so Kiba decided to appease the ashen teen.

"Alright, back to what I was saying-- why don't you just sing too?" Kiba got tired of holding himself up, so he just plopped his torso into Kankurou's lap and rolled over to see Sasuke upside down. "Really. He's more the jealous type than you could ever hope to be."

"...And how would getting even make this better, hn?"

"It serves as entertainment, and it gets the girls energized."

"You're taken," Kankurou piped in. "You do know that, don't you??"

Kiba looked up at his boyfriend with a hurt expression. "Of course I do. But I'm a border-line slut, Kank'!! At least let me flirt a little??"

Sasuke looked at the junior like he was nuts when he just laughed and shook his head, flicking Kiba on the nose.

"Honestly?" he dropped. "Are you serious?? You're going to let him do that??"

Kankurou furrowed his brow and gave Sasuke his angry gaze. "You can't suffocate your lover, Uchiha. I'm not going to make him stop having fun just because it upsets me. Flirting isn't bad-- he's not eating face with anyone besides me, is he?"

Sasuke just narrowed his eyes and cast a dirty look to the floor. "Tch. Whatever."

"Yeah, whatever," Kankurou repeated. "When you have more than a month's worth of experience, I'll listen to what you have to say. Until then, don't give me relationship advice."

The raven didn't do much. He crossed his arms and kept his gaze on the 'stage' where Naruto was winding down his song. It seemed like forever for that idiot chorus to stop. When it finally did, and Naruto was done his erotic dancing-- which had Sasuke in fits-- Kiba switched the lights back on. The blonde took a bow, and he got cheers like he'd been performing his entire life and this was his last appearance. He straightened up suddenly when he felt someone pinch his ass. Naruto just brushed it off with a blush and a giggle. He motioned for Kiba to come over.

"I'll be back, Kank'!" the red streaked teen said as he bounding over to his lovely best friend. When he was out of ear shot, Sasuke dropped his stoic act and confront the purple painted teen next to him.

"Hey... were you serious?"

Kankurou took a breath and crossed his arms, turning slightly to just barely get Sasuke in his field of vision. "About what?"

"The suffocation thing..."

"You do know that you're the one who said I was totally using my boyfriend for my idiot brother, right?"

"Nevermind then," Sasuke huffed. He went to stand, but Kankurou pulled him back down as Kiba rattled on about Naruto's performance.

"You're very luck I'm the forgiving kind of person, Uchiha." He didn't get a response, but he wasn't really expecting one. Sasuke was too proud for something like that. With a sigh, Kankurou went on. "Yes, I was serious. You just can't make him stop doing things he enjoys si,mply because it bothers you. Really. You'll just make him feel like your putting on a leash, and he'll try to run away."

"Do you say that because your boyfriend's a dog?" Sasuke quirked.

Kankurou scoffed and shot Sasuke a knowing look. "Maybe it's because yours was just recently tied up, hm?"

"How do you know about that??"

Kankurou scoffed again. "I'm dating his best friend. It's not my fault you don't know what happened yesterday."

"Hn." Sasuke actually did make it to his feet this time. He gave his new junior 'friend' a nod as some means of thanks before walking off into the unnecessary crowd. He finally pushed through to the front and was able to breathe. His breath left him again though at what he heard.

"Hey, Sasuke!!" Kiba cried, bending down right in front of him. Sasuke won't admit to losing his compsure, but he did almost jump.

"What?" the Uchiha ground back, only slightly embarrassed.

"Come sing for us man!!"

The shouts of agreement were deafening.

"Yeah, Sasuke," Naruto concurred. "I'll do a duet with you if you sing now."

"Psht! There's no way in _hell_ I'd get up there and sing for a bunch of moronic teenagers that are probably half drunk already." Sasuke shook his head for emphasis. "Seriously. I'm not doing that shit."

"Aww... Come on Sasuke!!" Naruto begged, grabbing the microphone from Kiba's grasp. "Don't you guys think Sasuke should sing now??"

Words cannot describe how quickly Sasuke turned around then found himself on that half-assed stage. Was he thrown up there, or was he dragged? Nobody knew, but he was there.

"I'm not singing," he repeated in a haughty tone. "Honesetly. It's not something I do, Naruto."

The petite freshman frowned and held the mic down so that no one would be able to pick up what he said. "Come on, 'Suke!!" he begged. "If you do anything for me, just do this?? I'll do whatever you ask me to for however long we keep dating..."

Sasuke sighed wispily before shoving his hands in his pockets. "What the hell kind of deal is that? It's hardly fair, Ru. You know I plan on staying with you forever..." He shook his loose locks before lifting his head and smiling down at his little lover. "I can't refuse it," he shrugged.

"He's gonna do it!!" Naruto shouted into the mic after turning to face everyone cheerily. A thought hit him, and he turnd back around. "...You do know how this works, right??"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and snatched the mic from Naruto's grasp. "Yes, I do. Go somewhere else so I can mortify myself properly, yeah?"

Naruto shot him a cheesy grin before hopping off the stage. Once he was gone, Sasuke dragged himself over to the machine and went through the available CD collection. He thought he was going to have to kill himself since he didn't know anything he saw. All hope was lost for him until one number caught his eye. He didn't need to read the song title because he'd seen the artist-- Cobra Starship just saved his life.

Technically, Itachi had. He was the one playing it all night when Sasuke stayed over and couldn't fall asleep. He'd asked his older brother who it was that was so great that he had to blast it in the wee hours of the morning. He had most of their songs memorized now.

Only slightly jittery, Sasuke popped the CD into the machine and skipped to the number he'd seen next to his selection. When he turned around to stat,, someone called out from the gathering in front of him.

"Sasuke-kun!!" it cried. "What song is it?? Is it dedicated to anyone??"

Sasuke laughed. Cobra Starship had one song that actually belonged on a karaoke machine, and it wasn't a love song in the least little bit. That being said, he could think of a few people to dedicate it to.

"I'll make a dedication: every girl but my special someone." That one caused an uproar, however, Sasuke ignored it and hit the play button, much against his better judgement.

There was silence. It was one of those songs that liked to not have an intro. Everyone sat on bated breath until Sasuke finally broke out with, "They say that Kitty's got..!!" The actual words were 'they say that kid, he's got,' but, his name being Kitty and all, Sasuke just had to make it so. Naruto caught on from his spot in front of the tables and burst out laughing. He couldn't help it. For one, Sasuke was singing karaoke. For another, he was dissing his own name. It was perfect.

"I'm bringing sassy back, and everything that you thought you can't forget 'cause y'all know nothing but my name." It was ridiculous how well Sasuke was able to imitate the actual singer in the background. And it was ridiculous that he was actually dancing. "And I don't wanna hear about people I don't know. Not you, not him, not her, no." He pointed to Kiba first, then Naruto, then Sakura as the time called in the song. Then, because he is Sasuke and didn't know much about dancing, he held a hand out to Sakura, bending his fingers to call her up on the table. He even threw a wink in there for her.

And of course, she flipped. Sakura broke out into an insane smile before climbing up on the stage half clumsily. Ino, who was next to her originally, threw a fit and scrambled up after her. They decided that there was no reason to fight since there were two sides to Sasuke after all.

"You only see what I let you see, nothing less, nothing more. What you say is nothing new to me. Honestly..." Sasuke withdrew and held out a hand to both girls. Miraculously, they didn't fight, they both put half a hand in his. "They say that Kitty's got soul!! I'm everywhere that you go... And I've been there, seen that, and I ain't taking you home. No-o-o..."

Sasuke pulled both girls close and held the mic out for them. They smiled and sang the most idiotic part of the song for him. "Oh. Oh oh oh oh. Oh oh oh oh oh. Oh oh oh oh oh o-oh. Oh. Oh oh oh oh. Oh oh oh oh oh. O-oh. O-oh. O-oh. O-oh."

Sasuke sang with the girls up to a certain point in the song where he didn't plan on doing anything. He didn't rap... Black people didn't even rap in karaoke. So, he sent Sakura and Ino off. Just as he was going to turn to take care of the machine though, he heard a familiar voice ring out the quick lyrics.

"Yeah, yeah. Go Naruto go!!"

Sasuke shook his head. No way in hell was that idiot up there doing it...

"They say that Kitty's got more soul than Flight Club. Can't you tell by the way I use my wall? Yeah I stay way cooler than the hand that lose that. Yeah bite too many times worse than my bark. Yeah, took a little time but I'm finally here. Ten years deep just to make things clear. Now I'm doubled up throwing double B's in the air. Go get it off your chest like a tight brassiere. Don't regret it. Just let it. Give credit. Don't sweat it."

Of couse, a word or two was improvised to get the name 'Travis' out of there, but it worked. Sasuke had to smile. The moron did good. Shaking his head, Sasuke made his way over to the blonde who was leaning down to the crowd as he finished out his 'don't sweat it,' and pulled him up.

Together, they sang and sketched out the next part. "You can try, but you can't stop: Fangs up!! Cobra style..." They finished it out together, switching off here and there by pointing to each other like the losers they were when they were together. Who would've thought Sasuke could actually have fun acting like an imbecile??

---------------------------

"Hey!!" Naruto cried when they finally finished. "Don't look so down Uchiha!! Did you honestly _not _have fun doing that??"

"...Do I look down?" Sasuke asked as he hopped from the 'stage' and Naruto followed. To be honest, he felt unbelievable ecstatic. Mayeb that's why he didn't look too happy-- he was in shock. "I'm fine," he said. "Really. That was... fun."

"Ha!!" Naruto cried doubtfully. He grabbed Sasuke by the arm and pulled him away from everyone else so that they could actually speak. "So tell me, was it fun singing with the girls??"

"Psht," Sasuke scoffed. "Was it fun dancing with them?"

"... Does it bother you that I danced with them?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"Well, does it bother you that I did the same thing?" Sasuke retorted. "At least you don't have to worry. You know for a _fact _that I'm gay. I however don't have that reassurance. Quite often do you like to point out that you aren't homosexually orientated."

"...So it bothers you?" Naruto guessed. Sasuke didn't usually get so pissy about something unless it really _did _bother him.

"Well, not bother..." Sasuke remembered the suffocation thing he heard from Kankurou and decided to change his tactic of approaching the subject. "Not really. I'm fine with it."

Naruto eyed his boyfriend as hard as he could to see if he would crack. But, that's a rather difficult job when he had got eyes like a damn baby. A sigh escaped him as he came to a conclusion. "You're mad at me."

That certainly wasn't what Sasuke was aiming for. "N-no. No, I'm not."

"Yeah you are," Naruto stated. "Just tell me why. Is it because I was with the girls? Or is it because they didn't believe Kiba when he said I was taken?"

"Honestly," Sasuke affirmed. "I'm not mad about anything. Don't you think this is something a bit trivial to get heated over??"

"Or is it because they all think I'm dating a girl??"

Sasuke sighed and deflated. He gave up. Naruto was set on teh fact that Sasuke was angry with him, and he wasn't going to let it go. With a wave of the hand, Sasuke turned and went to sit. "Whatever," he called as he was walking away. "Believe what you want-- I'm still not upset."

Naruto watched as the raven retreated. He knew Sasuke wasn't mad, but he wanted a reason to get on the stage again to say something to everyone at the party. Sasuke being upset would have been it, but now there was nothing. Coming to a resolve, he sighed and did an about-face. Chouji was up on the stage, but that was okay. They were kind of friends, right? Right.

Naruto politely took the mic from Chouji's hands, he hadn't started yet anyway, and cleared his throat. "Hey," he called into the device. The people in attendance were silent. "I need some kind of response guys..."

"Yes, Naruto??" they called back in unison.

The blonde smiled cheekily before giving them a thumbs-up. "There you go!! So, guess what I just found out, hm?"

"What was it?"

"I'm more like Kiba than I thought."

"..." Kiba was the one that actually said something. "What the hell is that supposed to mean??"

"I finally cracked," the tiny freshman cried. "I'm bi guys!!"

There was a gasp that probably sucked all of the oxygen from the house.

"And you know what else?? I'm dating a guy so... Wait, does that mean I'm gay??"

"Nooo!!" someone cried. Naruto looked around to see who it was, but he didn't have to look for long. Hinata got up on the stage and took him by the elbow. "Naruto!!" she went on. "You can't be serious!! You're kidding right??"

"Uh... no." He smiled back as as apologetically as he could. "Sorry Hinata-chan."

"But Naruto!!" she cried. Hinata threw her arms around his neck and pulled him close. "Why??"

He just shrugged. "I dunno. Why do you like me so much??"

"Because it's _normal_!!"

Naruto frowned at her and pulled out of her grasp. "So now I'm a freak, huh?" Naruto turned up his nose and slide his hands in his pocket dropping the mic in the process. "No wonder the other guys haven't told anyone..."

"There're more of you?!" the usually timid girl gasped without thinking.

Naruto gnashed his teeth when he heard how she referred to 'them' as a totally different people. "So now you're removing us from society, hm? Tch! Whatever..." The blonde slid down from the stage and made his way over to Sasuke. Grabbing him by the sleeve, he yanked him along on his trek to the door.

"Naruto, man--!!"

"Sorry Kiba," the petite freshman called back. "I'm leaving. Oh, and I'm Sasuke's ride, so he's coming with me-- so you girls are shit outta luck. He hates you all anyway."

"Naruto," Sasuke scolded. He tugged his shirt out of Naruto's hold and spun the younger boy around. "You can't act like that. What were you expecting to happen? Not everyone has the _patience_ to deal with all of your outbursts and changes you know!"

Naruto stared down at the floor. The way Sasuke said patience always did something. It didn't make him feel better or anything like that. It just kind of calmed him down because the way Sasuke said it, it always came out like a sneer or something. It was funny how he could be having a perfectly normal conversation and bust out a grimace when the word came up.

It didn't do much to appease him this time though. "Dammit... I don't care!" Naruto cried. "I'm not going to have people that I thought were my friends staring at me like some kind of mutant freak just because I'm not conforming the way they want me to!!"

Sasuke sighed in defeat. He shot an angry look at the group of teens in the other room before turning over his sad countenance. "Alright," he agreed. "Let's go."

"Thank you," Naruto sighed. He threw open the door and stormed out, Sasuke following a few steps behind him.

Sasuke stopped just before closing the door though. "You people really are the worst," he said shaking his head. "I don't remember anything like this happening when Kiba came out a few minutes ago about his boyfriend."

"B-but!! He's _Kiba_!! Naruto's _totally _different!!" someone cried from in the crowd.

"And why's that?" Sasuke challenged. "Because people actually like him??" He didn't get an answer that time. "Thought so. He's going to be livid... Hope you don't mind losing a friend... poseurs." Sasuke left and slammed the door shut with him. In that action, he closed off most of Naruto's ties with the fake people inside. He didn't need to be put down like that anyway, let alone by people like them.

Sasuke waited with Naruto in silence after his brother had been called. He was around the corner at some bar, so they didn't have to wait long. After about a minute, Sasuke couldn't take the silnce anymore, and he threw an arm over Naruto's shoulders, pulling him to his side.

"I'm not sutpid, Ru," the raven sighed. "You can't ever be this quiet unless you're trying to hold something in."

"I hate everyone," the tiny teen hucked before breaking out in tears.

Sasuke sighed again, rubbing at Naruto's shoulder in the cool night air. "No you don't. You're just upset because they were so shocked."

"They joke on me so much about it," Naruto reasoned in between gasps. "It shouldn't surpirse them so much that I really do like guys."

"But you always denied it so forcefully," Sasuke explained. "And you don't like guys, remember? You're only dating one. You look disgusted when random ones say something to you-- and they're usually _very_ attractive, Ru."

"...Really?" Naruto sniffled.

"Really," the raven said with a nod. "If you want, I can get it put in the announcements," he joked.

"Jerk," Naruto said with a tearful smile. "No, I don't want you to do that. They'll notice that I'm not acutally completely gay when I turn down all the ones that fnd out and try to hook up with me."

"You are an evil little man," Sasuke chuckled.

"No, I'm just honest," Naruto giggled, wiping away the tears from his face. "Hey, Sasuke," he called after a little bit when he saw Itachi's car coming around the corner.

"Hn?"

"You look nice tonight," the blonde beamed.

"Thanks, but is that because I'm wearing your tacky designs?" the ashen teen scoffed.

"Tch!" Naruto huffed and turned away from the raven beside him. "No," he sneered. "You just look good, thank you very much." He waited for a response, but when the car came around, there was no point in expecting it. Sasuke didn't really talk in Itachi's car if he could help it at all.

"You know," the blonde pouted as he climbed in, "you're supposed to say thank you."

"I thought I already said thanks," Sasuke said in more of a question format. "Didn't I say so when you first said something?"

The blonde just huffed in his spot and crossed his arms. "I'm not in the mood for you and your smart-ass comments, Mr. Uchiha..."

"Bah, you never are." Sasuke slid into the backseat beside Naruto and made a point to sit in the middle so that he could squish the tiny freshman against the door.

"Argh! I hate you, 'Suke!!" Naruto pouted, trying to at least wiggle into a semi-comfortable position.

"You don't mean it," the raven replied, pushing harder still to flatten his boyfriend. "I think I'm the only person you don't really get mad at..."

"Yeah-fucking-right!!" Naruto shoved with all the weight and force he had and finally managed to roll Sasuke off of him. "Tch! I'm usually mad at you mroe than anyone!!"

"Aww... really?" Sasuke asked in fake despair. "I thnk I'll have to fix that some time..."

"...Stay over there!!" Naruto erupted. It wasn't so hard to guess a Sasuke-maneuver when it came up. And he was in no mood to deal with one of those right now. "Tachi!!" the whiskered teen whined, pounding lightly on the back of the driver's seat. "Let's go so he has to put his seatbelt on and leave me alone."

"Are you sure you're done bickering?" Itachi asked in a sigh-like tone. "You know I can't stand that kind of thing when I'm driving."

"Yes, yes, just go!!" Naruto ordered He finally settled down a bit when the car was actually moving away from the horrid house.

"So why are you leaving so early?" the older brunette asked through the rear-view mirror. "I only dropped you off, what, ten minutes ago??"

"It's nothing," Naruto began, "I just--"

"Ha. Naruto decided to come out to the whole house spontaneously," Sasuke chimed. Chimed!! He was happy to inform his brother of the faux pas!!

"Ru," the older Uchiha sighed from the front seat, "don't you think there's a reason that none of us have done that?"

"You know..." the blonde grumbled, Sasuke poking him in the side with his foot. "I thought about that after the fact thanks. I'm not one to think things through like that. Never was, never will be. Why do you think I'm dating your idiot of a brother??"

"Well that's not very nice," Sasuke said with something like a pout as he pushed harder with his foot.

"And that's ABUSE!!" Naruto shouted, shoving the offending limb away. "God..."

Sasuke sighed from across the back seat. "I hate it when you're mad..."

"Ha! I've been mad at you for years, Sasuke. Get over it..."

When the two freshmen in the backseat stopped fussing, Itachi decided that it was a good time to get going for real. First stop, the Uchiha stronghold.

They made it there quicker than usual, and that was probably because Itachi wanted to get Naruto home. That way, he could badger him under the pretense of 'caring' and 'worried' guardian. Of course, he just wanted to be nosy, but he would never admit that. When they reached the front gate though, Sasuke didn't get out right away.

"Ru," he called across the back seat. He got a grunt in response, so he went on. "Ru, don't be mad at me for being normal annoying Sasuke," he pleaded. "Honestly, all jokes aside, you aren't going to have many friends when you get to school. Might as well keep the ones you can, right?"

Naruto sucked his teeth and shot Sasuke a frown. Of course, it melted into a smile that he just couldn't stop. "Get out of my car," he giggled, pushing at the raven's chest.

"Your car?" Sasuke repeated.

"Psht! Yeah. I get this if something happens to that lovely brother of yours," the blonde boasted. "I'm his sole beneficiary."

"And why's that??"

"Because I don't really exist," the older explained rather frankly. "Henceforth, I can't leave anything to you."

Sasuke frowned, but he just brushed it off. "Whatever. I get a multi-billion dollar company just for living."

Naruto rolled his eyes and shoved the older teen again. "You really need to leave now."

"Hnnn... Don't get mad because I speak the truth," Sasuke mumbled, leaning over. He pressed his lips to the blonde's with well practiced precision. He ran his tongue over Naruto's bottom lip half a stroke before his mouth opened up. They made out in the backseat for a few minutes before it just got annoying, and Itachi cleared his throat.

Sasuke had that same accomplished smirk in place when he released the tin blonde. Backing out of the car he said, "Don't be upset about tonight, okay??"

"Mm-hm!" Naruto piped, cheery again now that he remembered there weren't only assholes in the world. "Now go inside and give your mother a heart attack."

"Wha--??" It took him a few seconds, but Sasuke caught on, what with his prodigy-type mind and all. "Aw, shit..." he sighed. "She's going to freak out and think I'm that bastard up front, isn't she??"

"Yup!" Naruto beamed. "Hopefully, she won't kill you for making her think so."

"Psht... Hopefully she'll be asleep and I can get all of this shit off before she sees me."

The blonde laughed and sent a cheesy smile in his boyfriend's direction. "Nope! With the luck you and I have, she'll be sitting at the door eagerly awaiting your arrival due to her whole niceness trip and all."

"..." Sasuke scowled before getting out all of the way and slamming the door behind him. "I so hate you, Ru."

Naruto just laughed again. "Liar! You love me more than most things in this world."

Sasuke just waved him off and started the long trek to his house after entering the code on the gate. Before opening the door, he made sure that the sleek black car was gone. Honestly, he didn't want Naruto to be right _and_ witness it for himself. He did have a point about the whole rotten luck thing after all.  
---------------------------------------------

* * *

Alright so...important stuff. Naruto came out about dating a dude, though it was entirely unethical. Sasuke might be dead the next morning because he never changed or washed his face, and he still looks like ITachi. AND!! NAruto is the sole beneficiary... yeah, that's it. 


	34. Lizards

Yeah... how long's it been? " sorry guys. I've been REALLY busy... I know that's a bad excuse, but it's true... and I'm sure that you really don't care so... here's your last filler chapter only one important thing happens, and it's the last thing Tachi says to Naruto. That's it... and Sasuke has a new pet XD

I ran it through the "beat" or whatever XP I use MS Word... I just didn't get a chance to until like.. today sorry

* * *

The day after the party, Sasuke was still alive, but he was brooding more than ever. And, brooding right along with him was Naruto. Sasuke was upset, not only because of what happened when he got home, but also because of what was happening at school. When he got home last night, he wasn't embraced because they thought he was Itachi, oh no. They embraced him because he was Sasuke. By they, his parents are implied. Sasuke's father never really offered much.. affection, so to receive it so bluntly and so offhandedly was disgruntling. Especially since there were alternate motives behind it other than love itself. And school just wasn't making that any better. After the party, and Naruto's sudden revelation, Naruto was being snubbed left and right. He only had a handful of friends now, and he didn't have that many to begin with. Sure, he was popular, but so was Sasuke. And he only had about six or seven acquaintances. No, life was not being very generous at the moment.

"You know," Sasuke said, leaning back on the guardrail of the rooftop, "this really sucks."

"Ha!" Naruto exclaimed, following suit and sliding down to sit on the cool concrete. "You're telling me? I think I've got it just a bit worse than you do, Uchiha."

"What are you mad at me for?" the raven asked. "I haven't done anything to you as of late. There's no reason to call me _Uchiha_."

The blonde frowned and looked up at the very despondent boy beside him. "You sneer your own name now?"

"It's justified," the ashen teen spat. "Every other one in existence needs to die anyway. So why not? I don't hold the name _Uchiha_ in any special place anymore."

"...Anymore??" Naruto piped. "You did once?"

Sasuke sighed and slid down to sit with Naruto. Out of habit, he reached over and grabbed his hand to toy with his fingers as he spoke.

"Che... yeah," Sasuke scoffed, sinking down into a bleak hole that was he memories. "For some time actually. When I was younger. Everyone respected the name Uchiha, and I knew that. It was something that only I could have back in school. There weren't going to be anymore, that was for sure, and I was going to be the last one some day. After all, Tousan and Kaasan weren't havening any children after me. Aniki was gay, and I knew that. And I was too high on being the only one left to care about it. And I was six years old," he added.

"True, true," Naruto concurred. "That's not usually something on a six year old's mind, no."

"Yeah. And now, life just sucks with all the _Uchihas _I know..."

Naruto did some mental math. He did it three times because he thought he was wrong. It truly didn't seem like it was deemed worth of such a statement. "... You only know three other ones," the blonde stated.

Sasuke scoffed from his spot and gently pushed Naruto with his shoulder. "Says you. I have aunts and uncles. No cousins, no, but aunts and uncles. And I met a new one."

"A new aunt or a new uncle?" Naruto asked a bit confused.

"A new _Uchiha_," the raven sighed rolling his eyes.

"And who would that be exactly?"

"Like you don't know," Sasuke mumbled. "His name is Madara. Tobi to most people??"

"Ooh..." Naruto winced and fidgeted his foot a bit. "How'd you find out about that??"

"His dumb ass told me."

"You know," the blonde grumbled, "he's not as dumb as he acts."

"Oh, I know. He's the one who started up the old faithful _Uchiha _Franchise. I just assumed he was dead is all."

"... Why??"

"Madara?? Are you serious?" Sasuke scoffed. "He's massively old, Ru. Well beyond my father in years, and that man's pushing fifty."

"...Honestly??"

"Yeah. He's older than Orochimaru even."

"... Yeah, that's creepy," Naruto observed with a shiver. "I think I'm done talking to the two of them completely."

"Do what you want," Sasuke sighed as he stood, pulling Naruto with him. "But it's time to get inside, Ru."

"Do I really have to?" Naruto grimaced, the thought of seeing those people again making him sick already.

"Yes, you really have to," Sasuke chuckled. "Come on, I'll walk with you to first period, yeah?"

"Fine," the tiny freshman said with a wispy sigh. He honestly didn't want to go back inside. Lunch would be the only safe haven now that everyone... disliked him. He was kind of used to nasty looks, but they'd died down recently. Now, they were back ten-fold, and he didn't like it in the least bit. Somebody upstairs was having a good old time making life miserable for him.

"Naruto!!" He gave a start when a light arm was thrown over his shoulders. Someone was touching him? Someone other than Kiba or Sasuke was touching him? That meant death was around the corner.

He twisted out from under whoever it was and turned to look at them. He saw pink, white, and blue. "Sakura??"

"Naruto," she repeated. She took in his expression, and the smile on her face melted away. "Did I do something wrong??"

"Wha--? Oh! No! No..." He rubbed the goose bumps from his arm and looked down at the floor. "D-did you need something??"

"No, I was just saying hi," she explained. "I just got here, you know? Mom was sick this morning."

"Oh.. okay."

A bit uncomfortable, she looked around the busy hallway, switching from foot to foot. Averting her gaze out of embarrassment, she said, "So, yeah okay. I-I'll see you later, Naruto. Sasuke."

"Yeah, bye," Naruto replied robotically. Sasuke just gave his normal "Hn," and they were off.

"...That was weird," the blonde mumbled as they made their way through the hallways.

"What was?"

"Everyone else has stopped talking to me save for Kiba. Why would Sakura want to?" Naruto mused. "Think she knows?"

"Was she one of the girls at the party?" Sasuke asked rhetorically. "They all work like one mind, Ru. If by some miracle she missed it, I'm still sure she knows."

"...Then why's she talking to me?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Being sure that it was discrete, he kicked the blonde from behind. "Dobe. Ever think that she actually likes you?"

"Since when?" Naruto squeaked, snapping to attention after recovering from the slight tumble he had.

Sasuke just sighed and kept walking. Forced to drop it, Naruto followed the older freshman, making sure to stay right behind him. He was using Sasuke as some kind of shield that day. He didn't want people to know he was there and then throw him a nasty look. It was better just to stay hidden. Until, of course, Sasuke decided to take a wrong turn suddenly.

"Wh-what the hell, Sasuke?!" the tiny blonde cried as he trailed after him. "I-I thought we were going to first period?"

"We are," the Uchiha sighed. A smirk graced him when he looked over his shoulder at the confused boy behind him. "We're just taking a detour."

That was a new one, but it was still a Sasuke-maneuver, and Naruto knew it. "Ass!!" he cried. "We're in school, you know!"

"I do," the raven replied. "Has that _ever_ stopped me before? Honestly..."

"B-but, Sasuke!!" the whiskered teen cried. "Right now?? You can't wait until, like... later??"

"Nope," was Sasuke's clipped response. "I haven't eaten face since last night. I think I'm allowed to enjoy it once before I take you to class."

"Uchiha, you're awful..."

"It'll only take a minute," Sasuke chuckled. "I think you'll live. You won't be subject for too long."

Naruto sighed as he followed behind Sasuke. Seriously, what other choice did he have? He wasn't walking the halls alone, and even if he were, he wasn't going to do it without some kind of shield or something. That was suicide, and he damn sure wasn't that depressed. Even if he was, he didn't know anyone who actually went through with it. So he couldn't ask if it was a good idea. Of course, it wouldn't matter either way since they'd be dead.

Naruto noticed a change in the atmosphere and pulled out of his musings. He was a bit shocked to see hat there was no one there. Of course, there was Sasuke, but no one else that mattered was around. The hallway was empty. Not even teachers...

"Uhm... 'Suke," the blonde called. "Where the hell are we?"

"Aww... You don't remember this area?" the ashen teen up front called back. "Kakashi told me that you met him here twice maybe."

"You know everyone sees him everywhere besides in his class," Naruto scoffed.

"True," Sasuke concurred. "Well, we are headed to that old abandoned library."

"...Why??"

"Because, Ru, there isn't even a librarian there," the raven explained. "No one is ever in there, so they don't need one. Besides, I haven't been in yet," he added with a smirk-smile.

Naruto sent a half-hearted scowl in his direction. "You just don't want to get caught, huh?"

"Well, people knowing that you're dating a guy certainly isn't doing you any good-- imagine what would happen if they found out that it was me."

Naruto sighed and moved out from behind his shield so that he could walk beside him. "You know," he said, "you actually are considerate despite your awful exterior."

"I guess I'll take that as a compliment," the Uchiha chuckled as he slid his hand into the other freshman's, entwining their fingers as far as he could.

"Shocking," the blonde said pulling their hands up to view. "Since when does this happen??"

"We've held hands before," Sasuke said with a frown.

"Yeah, back in the dark ages of unwilling molestation," the whiskered teen mocked.

"Well fine," his boyfriend pouted, "we won't do it then." He made an attempt to pull his hand away, but Naruto stopped him.

"I didn't mean it like that," he said with a cheesy grin. "It was just surprising is all."

"Hn..."

"Aww... Do I make you not want to suck face anymore?"

"Tch! Yeah right." It was Sasuke's turn to grin now. "I don't think that would ever be possible, Ru. Not if you were the unlucky recipient."

"Thanks," Naruto lagged. "I'm just suuu lucky that I'm the choice victim to your awful kissing skills."

"...You really know how to make a guy feel bad, don't you?" the older teen leered.

"You? Feel bad? Me??" Naruto giggled to himself. "It's ridiculous that someone not even half your size can do that."

"Well, love's a ridiculous concept itself, isn't it?"

"It is, but I think so for very different reasons than you do."

"... What would they be?"

Naruto shrugged and turned away, trying way too hard to hide the smile on his lips. "I dunno 'Suke. I'll tell you some day why it's so fickle."

"Make sure you do," Sasuke demanded. "Until then, however, look where we are."

Naruto did so and deflated almost instantly. "Must, I? Really, Sasuke?"

"You said you'd do what ever I asked as long as we were together," the brunette reminded him.

Naruto scowled. "I was drunk."

"In ten minutes?" the raven scoffed back. "Yeah right. Besides, you don't drink."

"Says who?!"

"Says everyone," Sasuke informed as he pushed open one of the big doors. "Ru, you _can't _drink. You'd pass out before you'd finish a single _can_."

"Is that some kind of disguised insult, Uchiha?"

"You can't get mad at me for telling the truth," onyx-eyed teen said with a smile that actually lit up his face. Naruto couldn't help but stare. Sasuke noticed, and it melted away into a nervous fixture. "What?"

"You're so pretty when you smile..." Naruto said idiotically. "Well, when you're actually having a good time I mean..." Then something clicked in his mind. "You're having fun messing with me like this?!"

Sasuke let a chuckle escape him. "A little slow there, Naruto?"

"Fuck you!!"

"Right now?" Sasuke asked. "I don't think so. A little later when we aren't in school maybe."

"Dammit, Uchiha!!" Naruto growled. "That wasn't an offer!!"

"Sure it wasn't," Sasuke laughed, still dragging Naruto through the library.

"I'm serious, you pervert!" the blonde shouted. It was a good thing that no one was ever in that library or they'd be kicked out for sure.

"Yes, yes, I know," Sasuke said just to appease him. However, Naruto didn't care. He still wanted to rave. And, while he went on ranting, Sasuke continued to pull him through the bookshelves of the old library. He finally found a spot that wasn't by a window caked over with dust and stopped.

"What now?" Naruto growled.

"I think you can stop complaining now," the Uchiha said with a smirk.

"Excuse me??" the blonde whined. "Since when do you tell me when to stop complaining??" He was so busy bitching that he didn't notice that Sasuke had him pushed against one of the shelves. That is, of course, until Sasuke decided to drop his lips onto his. As soon as they made contact, Naruto's brain stopped and began to run a bit more normally again. He wasn't freaking out about what was happening at school. He wasn't badgering Sasuke about his parents. He wasn't all wound about everything that was going on in his life. He was just focused on Sasuke. So he kissed him back.

Naruto ran his tongue across his partner's pale lips, eliciting something like a moan. Sasuke'd been too deprived lately, and he was loving every second he could get, even if Naruto was in control for a short while. A _very_ short while. After about twenty seconds, the raven decided that his blonde had had enough fun, and it was his turn. The next time Naruto's tongue made it into the other's mouth, Sasuke bit down on it to keep it in place. Then, he sucked all the pain away.

When he finally let go, because they actually heard the librarian come in, Sasuke had his hand up Naruto's shirt, and Naruto was twisted up completely in Sasuke's hair. After a little while, a sigh escaped the smaller boy.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked. Usually, they were _both_ ecstatically happy after something like that.

Naruto just giggled at himself and shook his head. "Nothing."

"Liar," Sasuke accused after sucking his teeth. "What is it?"

"Hah!" Naruto pressed a quick kiss to Sasuke's pale lips before smiling up at him. "I wish I really could have your babies."

"Tch!" Sasuke snuggled his face down into the sunshiny locks below him. Sighing, he said, "You're too good for me."

"I am not," the blonde whined. "Stop saying that already."

"Sure." The raven planted a chaste kiss on his tiny lover's forehead before pulling him away from the shelf. "Come on, I'll take you to class."

Naruto sighed as he was pulled along. They slowly made their way to the back building, and they didn't talk the entire trek there. By the time they'd made it, a depressing mood have befallen the atmosphere.

Irritated, Sasuke gently pushed Naruto against one of the far walls so that if any skippers came by they wouldn't see. "What's wrong now?"

"Nothing," Naruto said, a bit confused. "Did I do something?"

"What's got you so despondent?" the young Uchiha demanded. "You're never this upset about anything."

"...And I'm not upset," Naruto mouthed slowly.

"Bullshit." Sasuke leaned forward to press against the tiny blonde on the wall. "What's wrong?" he asked, still pushing harder.

"I mean it," Naruto whined. "There's nothing wrong with me!!"

"Liar," Sasuke chimed. "If there was nothing wrong, you'd probably pull out that third of yours and shove me off right now."

Naruto stopped struggling on the wall and deflated. The sudden drop of pressure made Sasuke fall forward, and he was sure he squished Naruto, but apparently, the smaller freshman didn't care.

"Wh-what the hell, Ru??"

The whiskered teen sighed and leaned forward the extremely small amount he needed to drop his forehead on Sasuke's shoulder. "You're too good, Uchiha... You probably didn't even notice, but you got me."

"...The hell are you talking about??"

"I can't call them, 'Suke..."

"...Who?"

"Nikko and Kit!!" Naruto exclaimed, jerking his head and pushing the raven off in the same instance. "No matter how hard I try, I just can't get them to come out!! I can't even get them to talk to me anymore!!"

"N-Naruto, calm down..."

"I can't!!" the tanned boy cried, fat tears finally starting to spill over his lashes. "Sasuke, those two are like my second parents!! You don't understand what I feel like right now!! I've had them for the longest time, and they've been my comfort forever!! I need them, Sasuke!!"

Sasuke sighed and made a move to hug the trembling teen in front of him, but he thought better of it. "Can I hold you?" he asked. He got a weak nod in return and ensconced the smaller freshman in his arms with a welcoming sigh of solace.

"Can I really not take your mind off of it?" the young Uchiha asked after about five minutes.

Naruto shook his head against his chest.

"Can I at least try?"

There was a pause, but after about ten seconds, he felt the slight difference of friction from a nod.

"Okay," Sasuke said, pushing Naruto to stand on his own. "Come on, let's get out of here then."

"...Where are we going?" Naruto asked from behind him as Sasuke pulled him along by the wrist.

"Well, we'll start by getting off campus, then you tell me."

"Wh-what?!" Naruto took a few quick steps to catch up, being naturally faster than Sasuke and all. "Y-you mean we're skipping school??"

"... Does that surprise you??"

"Well... yeah... You haven't missed a day of school since... I don't even know..."

"Tch! Yes I have," Sasuke explained. "That's just Hyuuga trying to win me over again."

"...Seriously?"

"Yeah. Now come on," the young raven urged, pulled the blonde a bit faster than before.

"So... where'd you sleep last night?" Naruto asked as they were crossing behind the front building to get to the parking lot.

"What?" Sasuke asked looking back at him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"...Where'd you sleep last night??" Naruto repeated somewhat confused. "Self explanatory, don't you think??"

"Why would you ask that I mean..."

"Oh... Well, you tend to not sleep in your own bed when certain things happen," Naruto explained. "Like... when you're lonely, you go sleep in mine or Tachi's room at your place. When you're like... mad I guess, you go sleep on the couch. And... other stuff..." He took a second to think about it. "Yeah, so where'd you sleep last night??"

Sasuke just stared down at his little friend trying to blink away his shock. When he was finally recovered, he asked, "How the hell do you know that?"

Naruto pulled Sasuke to a stop and stretched up to whisper in his ear. "Tachi does the same thing," he said. "And I've seen you do it once when I was over."

Sasuke sighed and pushed the tiny blonde back down to his normal stance. "Whatever," he said wispily. He grabbed Naruto by the hand and began pulling him along. "Let's go."

"Are you not going to tell me?" the blonde whined.

Sasuke sighed again as they finally made it to the parking lot. "Last night, I slept--"

"Man! That's your car!!" Naruto interrupted when he spotted it.

Sasuke looked to where he was pointing and nodded slowly. "Yes, Ru, that's my car. How else would we be getting out of here?"

"But it's the Lexus!!" Naruto cried. "You almost never break out the Lexus!!"

"... You're _always_ in the Lexus, Ru... And you're _always _in the Jaguar too. This really shouldn't be a surprise."

Naruto watched as Sasuke opened up the door and went to the driver's side to get in himself. Naruto took a hint and slid in next to him.

"So...No one gets in the Jaguar??"

"You mean when he was still 'alive?' No," Sasuke explained. "No one was allowed in the Jaguar save for him and little Sasuke."

"Oh... well..." Naruto let that sit for a while before thinking up another question. "So yeah, where'd you sleep last night?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he backed out of his space and started off for the road. "I slept in your room, Ru."

"Uh... Why?" Naruto asked after thinking on it. "Didn't you say that your parents were like... fawning over you?"

"Yup."

"So... you felt lonely?"

"Exactly."

"...Why?"

"Because when they want to act crazy like that, I don't know who they are," the raven explained. "Henceforth, I am lonely and stuck in a house with two freak-strangers that want to cuddle and praise me. Yes, very alone a feeling..."

"..." Naruto just kept watching, waiting for the punch line, but it never came. "Yeah... I love how your logic has completely gone down the drain since dating me."

"Eh... I can get it back if I really need to," the brunette reassured him. "It's not like I've gone completely stupid or anything."

"Yeah?" Naruto challenged. "What's eighteen times twelve??"

"Two-sixteen," the young heir stated, sending his company an innocent look.

"Dammit... He's right."

"Yeah, I know!!" Naruto exclaimed in response. Then, he realized he was actually talking to someone. "Holy fuck!! Sasuke, someone's in here!!"

"Uh... yeah," Sasuke stated. "Aniki, who else?"

"Why didn't you tell me so?!"

Sasuke furrowed his brow as they pulled out to the road. "I thought you'd notice something like that actually... Guess I shouldn't make assumptions on your recon skills."

"Yeah," Itachi added from the back, "don't ever go into war."

"I can't go into war!!" Naruto exclaimed. "They wouldn't let me!!"

"Why not?" Sasuke asked.

"... Just because," the blonde stated, calming down again.

"Just because??" Sasuke repeated. "Yeah, that's a great reason, Ru."

"Leave him alone," Itachi advised, scooting forward on the back seat. "Now, why the hell did I have to steal your car for you?"

"Because I needed it for this," the younger sibling justified.

"I thought this was impromptu?" Naruto challenged. "Were you already leaving??"

"Yeah," Sasuke said flippantly. "I just figured I'd take you with me since you were feeling so down, you know?"

Naruto's brow came together in frustration. "And you weren't telling me you were leaving?? Where were you going then?"

"I was originally going for some business down at the hospital, but I'm going wherever you want now."

"...Like?"

"I don't know..." Sasuke thought about it for a second before a few options came to mind. "The park? The mall? You want food? What??"

"... We can go to the mall?" the petite boy asked from his seat.

"If you want to, yes." Sasuke yawned as they came to a traffic light. "We don't really have to be back until half way through third period."

"Why half way??" Itachi asked from the back.

"That's when the professor gets there," Naruto chimed.

"... Not Kakashi is it??"

"Tch, yeah," Naruto said rolling his eyes. "Did he do that to you guys??"

Itachi nodded. "Only...I'm hoping it's for a different reason now."

"Yeah. He's reading porn," Naruto offered. "What was he doing for you??"

"Meeting the guy I introduced him to," the older raven offered. "It was a horrid sight to walk in on..."

"Oh god, that's awful..." Sasuke shook his head in the driver's seat to try and rid himself of the image.

"Gees... I'm happy he moved in with Uncle Iruka," the blonde voiced. "At least we aren't subject to _see_ that."

"They live together now?" Itachi asked, intrigued. "For how long?"

"Mm... Well after their on and off period, I'd say... five years maybe??"

"Five years??" Sasuke questioned. "You just found out about it a few weeks ago!"

"But I used to live with Iruka, remember?? Kakashi was always over there... Then he stopped coming... Then started coming back after I moved out... So yeah. I know what I'm talking about!! Shut up, Kitty!"

Sasuke put on a brooding face and proceeded to stare out the windshield. Itachi chuckled from the backseat.

"You're a good man for humor, Uzumaki," he said to the small teen up front.

"Nah, that's just tough love... And this is how you make up for it." Naruto leaned over in his seat and pressed his lips to Sasuke's cheek momentarily. "Thanks for trying to get my mind off of it, Sasuke."

-.-.-

Once they made it to the mall and found a parking space, the trio got out of the car. Of course, Sasuke and Naruto had to wait while Itachi made his self-preparations. Once he looked like he could be Sasuke's aunt, they were actually able to get in the mall. Apparently that was a good thing because it seemed like Naruto hadn't been there in quite some time.

"Ru," Sasuke warned, grabbing him by the hand, "calm down. You're acting like a five year old."

"Aw, come on!!" the blonde whined. "The only time I ever come to the mall is with Snake-bastard, and I might as well have a leash then!!"

"He brings you to the mall?" the two brothers voiced in opinion. "Since when??"

"Since I was... twelve I think," Naruto explained. "Yeah, since I was twelve.. He always said that I could get whatever I wanted."

"... How is that anything remotely close to leashing someone?" Sasuke asked, still with his preventive hold on the blonde's arm.

The whiskered teen sighed. "He picked the stores and gave me a time limit. He said it was bad for people like us to be out together for too long without it being 'suspicious.'"

"... Well, he's right for once," Itachi said.

"Yeah, but let's forget about him," Sasuke opted. "What do you want to do, Ru??"

"Can we get something to eat??"

"I just made you breakfast this morning," Itachi stated.

"Yeah, but... I want a taco," Naruto whined.

"... A taco?" the two Uchihas repeated. "At nine in the morning??"

"Yes, can I have a taco at nine in the morning, 'Suke??"

Sasuke shook his head and sighed as he let the blonde go and slid his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, I guess so. Come on," he added, walking off. He gestured with his hand as he retreated in the direction of the food court.

Naruto frowned. He just didn't like the way that sounded-- kind of like Sasuke was upset about something. He resolved to rush forward quick enough to catch the pale hand before it disappeared into Sasuke's pocket like the other one had.

"What?" Sasuke groaned, looking down at the boy next to him, latched on by both hands. One was clasped around his own, the other clutching at his elbow.

"What's wrong now?" Naruto asked, tugging a bit as they continued to walk.

Sasuke sighed in annoyance. "Nothing's wrong with me. I didn't even do anything to _suggest _something was wrong."

"Yeah... But you sounded like you were upset," the blonde pushed.

Sasuke shook his head and leaned over to leave a kiss on Naruto's head. "Nothing's wrong. Really. I'm just not a huge fan of the mall."

"What?" Naruto gasped, eyes wide in shock. "A teenager that doesn't like the mall?? Why the hell not?!"

Sasuke chuckled to himself and pried his arm free. He showcased it and said, "I broke this here when I was five."

"... Nu-uh!!" Naruto barked in disbelief.

"Yu-huh," Itachi retorted for his little brother. "I was with him."

Sasuke scoffed from next to Naruto. "No kidding..."

"How the hell do you break your arm in the mall??" Naruto pondered aloud.

"Well, when your big brother is chasing you with a lizard, after you told him that the thing was ugly and petrified the shit out of you, you tend to run away," Sasuke explained. "Also, when other people dress you, you can't tie your own shoes. So, a five year old running full speed through a very crowded pet store and not paying any attention at all is nearly lethal. I was lucky I just broke something," he added.

"... A lizard?" Naruto repeated. "Seriously... a lizard??"

Sasuke tsk'ed him and said, "Yes, dammit. a lizard."

"... A lizard??"

"It was a chameleon," Sasuke justified. "They're ugly, and I was a very sheltered child."

"... But a lizard??"

"Okay," Sasuke snapped pushing the blonde away a bit, "shut the hell up. Yes, a chameleon is a lizard. Yes I was afraid of it, and yes, it caused me to break my arm. Happy?"

"... But a fucking lizard??" Naruto cried. "Don't you like... love reptiles??"

"Snakes," Sasuke corrected.

"Okay, snakes then. Are they not scarier than a _lizard_??"

"Lizards crawl..." Sasuke dribbled out as a chill overtook him.

"And what the hell do snakes do?!"

"... They slither," the young raven said dignity. "They aren't dragging their belly across the ground when they have legs perfectly capable of keeping them up."

"You're so retarded!!" Naruto cried. He couldn't help it-- he laughed. He had to! Honestly, if a stoic prick came up to anyone gave a reason like that for being petrified of lizards, anyone would laugh.

"You know," Sasuke grumbled, "it really isn't that funny."

"Wait, wait!!" the blonde gasped. "Are you still scared of them??"

Sasuke paused for a moment to consider the question. "Am I still afraid of them...?" He thought about it a bit more before responding slowly. "I-I'm not really sure. I've steered clear of them since then."

"..." A devious grin overtook the tiny freshman as he grabbed onto Sasuke's arm again. "Hey, 'Sukeeeeee?"

"What?" Sasuke replied, just a tad bit unnerved.

"Can we skip the taco and go look in the per store?"

Sasuke took a moment to consider his sanity before shaking his head. "I fucking hate you, Ru, Honestly..."

"And why's that?" the cerulean-eyed teen pouted from his place.

The ashen teen sighed miserably before turning to scowl at the annoying birr on his arm. "You know I can't say no to something like that..."

Naruto just smiled.

-.-

"Come touch it, 'Suke."

"There's no way in Heaven or Hell that I'm going to touch that thing..."

"But he wants you!!"

"It's an animal, Ru... How do you know what it wants??"

"Well..." Naruto looked down at the lizard in his hands and pondered it for a bit before something came to him. Giggling to himself, he gave Sasuke his classic fox grin and said, "He's trying to lick you!!" while holding it out further.

"Ru, I swear to God that I'll send someone to kill you if that fucking thing licks me," Sasuke warned, pivoting so that one foot was behind him. Really, he was just trying to put some distance between himself and the disgusting chameleon, but he did it in such a manner that it only looked like he was grounding himself out of haughtiness. Naruto, being himself, of course was able to see through it.

"C'mon!!" he jeered. "You're still scared of a lizard?? He can't even DO anything to you!!"

"Be happy I'm looking at it," the brunette scowled. "It can't even keep one eye still... that's ungodly..."

"He's not an IT, Sasuke," Naruto corrected.

"Naruto," Sasuke deadpanned, putting a hand over his eyes in annoyance to the bubbly blonde and bright light, "give the lizard back to the woman so you can wash your hands, and we can leave."

"Aww... come on Uchiha!!"

Sasuke kept his same stance and said, "No. Now come on..." He used his free hand to create a come hither motion, but he was stopped midway.

"Naruto... Sarutobi... Uzumaki..."

"Sasuke??" the blonde called back still chipper.

"That is absolutely appalling... it's not even wet..."

"Yep!!" the whiskered teen cried. "It's like fly-paper!!"

Sasuke dropped the hand over his eyes and sent a burning glare, capable of melting any alloy, at the offending thing. The chameleon had its tongue, the whole half of it, stuck to Sasuke since Naruto brought it closer.

"Get it the fuck off of me," the raven said in an eerily calm voice.

"It's not hurting you," Naruto crooned. Since Sasuke was now staring at the spot where the chameleon was attached to him, Naruto decide to have a little more fun since the raven was much too refined to through a fit in the pet store during broad daylight where people could see who he was. Very carefully , and slowly as well, the blonde transferred the reptile over to sit on Sasuke's arm.

He could've sworn Sasuke turned eight shades of green.

Swallowing past the lump that was still growing in his throat, Sasuke asked, "Why is it on me??"

"So that you can get over your ridiculous fear of them."

"Naruto... I don't want to," the Uchiha stated. "Please... take it off..."

"Just let it sit there for a few minutes..."

And so he did. Well, it wasn't like Sasuke planned on moving with a chameleon on his arm. What if it tried to bite him? Or crawl up higher? One thing it did while he was staring at it, was start to disappear. That was even more freakier than the thing's eyes. He used to think that fact that it could look in two directions at once was weird, but now this? There was an animal, that he could feel all too well, fading into the sleeve of his uniform jacket. Utterly, and completely, disturbing.

"Naruto," the stoic boy called, losing his facade. "Naruto... what's it doing?"

"I believe it's called 'changing colors' Sasuke..."

"Why is it changing colors?" the young raven whispered back. The only reason for the whispering was so that the chameleon wouldn't feel 'offended' and attack him. At least, that was his reasoning.

"To blend in," the tiny blonde whispered back, unsure of what was going on.

"...Why is it blending in again??"

Naruto sighed and rolled his eyes. "That's what they do, Sasuke. They blend in. It's like... camouflage."

"So like... it can blend into anything??"

"Uhm..." Naruto thought for a second before nodding. "No. Only like.. five colors. They're... pink, red, yellow, blue, green, brown, and black. Oh, seven."

"Why all the colors??"

Naruto smiled. He liked the fact that he actually knew more about something than Sasuke-- other than sexual practices. "It's an emotional thing. Like... if you scare one, he'll turn black. He'll get white if he's sick though."

"So what's blue mean then?" the curious raven asked. He got up the nerve to move his arm and hold the thing a bit closer so he could examine it.

Naruto just shrugged. "It could mean a lot of things. Maybe he already knows that color, and he can do it whenever he wants."

"...Does that make sense?"

Naruto giggled to himself. Apparently, Sasuke was entranced if he couldn't make the decision himself. "Yes, it does."

"Then I'll agree with you."

"Having fun, Little Brother?" Itachi asked as he finally came back. He'd left earlier when Sasuke was throwing a fit about going in the pet store. That was twenty minutes ago.

Sasuke shushed him and waved a hand to keep him quiet. When he got close enough, Itachi bent over into Naruto's ear and asked, "Why am I being shushed??"

"He's fascinated," Naruto whispered back. "It's funny really. Two minutes ago he was freaking out about it..."

"...Do you like those things now, Little Brother?" Itachi asked at a normal volume again. "You seem... entranced."

"Uh-huh," Sasuke sounded. "They're kind of... cool now."

"Well, it's time to be going, and, if you want to make it back 'on time' you might want to give the lizard back to the nice woman."

Sasuke sighed and put on something like a pout as he extended his arm out to the lady in the red pet store's shirt. She gently pried the now sleeping chameleon off of Sasuke's arm and put him back in his tank.

"Gee, Sasuke," the tiny blonde said sarcastically, "do you want one or what??"

"Yes, actually, I do," the young raven snapped back offensively.

"Seriously?" Itachi asked. "You've hated them for more than ten years, and now you want one for yourself?"

Sasuke just nodded with something like a pink speckle on his cheeks.

Itachi shrugged and reached into his back pocket. Pulling out his wallet, he flipped it open and removed one of his credit cards. "Here," he said, handing it over to Sasuke.

"What am I doing with this?"

"Go buy your lizard," the older Uchiha said, rolling his eyes. "It's staying at my house though, your parents would have a heart attack."

"Seriously??"

"Yes, but hurry. You've got a presentation, remember."

Sasuke looked down at the card in his hand and twirled it between his fingers a bit before looking up with an unsure smile. "Thanks, Aniki."

"Yes, yes," Itachi hurried. "Let's get a move on though because I have to be somewhere too."

Naruto furrowed his brow. "Where do you have to be?"

The lost heir flashed a devious smile and replied, "I've got an appointment at a pawn shop."

--

why was sasuke unsure? there's a reason. Why's tachi going to the pawn shop? htere's a reason. Why's naruto NOT know aobut the appointment? you guessed it, there's a reason. really, those're the only important things except for the opening and the fact that NAruto can't call Nikko and Kit anymore awww...

they aren't gone though XP promise


	35. The Wait is Over

okay... we'll just get right into it XD sorry for the wait, again, hope u all like it XP

* * *

"Alright, good job," Kakashi said lazily from his desk. "Who's up next?" he added with a slow, light applause.

"Us, Professor!!" Sakura cried from her seat angrily. "We're the only ones left you know!!"

"Calm down, Miss Haruno..."

"Well," the pink haried girl huffed, "One would think that you could care enough to notice something like that."

Naruto just rolled his eyes and stood up. "Let's go then," he ordered with an air of supremicy.

Sasuke and Sakura followed, but his female classmate was close on his heels. When she was in his ear was when he decided that maybe he should say something. "Yes... Sakura??"

"Uhm... I wasn't part of teh production team you know..."

"Excuse me?" the blonde boy asked as Sasuke set up the projection machine infront of the class.

"I have no idea what's on this slide show!!" she explained.

"Oh..." Naruto thought for a second before a solution hit him. "That's fine! You know everything we talked about, right? Just read the points on the slide and fill in the blanks, yeah?"

"B-but, I'm no good at improv!!"

"Well..." Naruto crinkled his brow in thought until another solution hit him. "Okay! You just do one slide then. Sasuke will go first, then me, then you. There're only two more after that, so you won't have to do more than one-- and it's the shortest on there, you know."

"Will that work?" the girl asked, just a tad bit unsure as she fiddled with her skirt.

"Course it will!!" the whiskered teen cheered. "Just make yours short and quick, and you'll be in the clear, yeah?"

"A-alright..."

"Naruto, Sakura," Sasuke called from his spot by the projecter. "Let's go."

"Naruto," Sakura tried one more time, "you're _sure_ this is going to work??"

"If it makes you feel any better," the bolde said as he took his place by Sasuke, "almost no one in this room likes me right now."

"R... really?"

Naruto just nodded as she stopped next to him and the lights went out. "Mhm! apparently, my stunt at Kiba's party was unforgiveable."

Sakura made a motion to say something else, but Sasuke had already started up the presentation. With his laser-poiner ermote, he started up the first slide. "LOVE" flasheed in big, bold letters before settling down to a corner. "What is the definition??" flashed upo next. Sasuke preceeded to explain.

"Through a course of research and live study, we've come to one conclusion." He clicked the next button and a bunch of question marks bordered the screen of his slide. He shrugged and said, "There isn't one. Love is something that can't be explained in merely one short sentence of a definition. It's smoething so special between two people that it cannot be given one distinct action or course of events. You may be best friends before this emotion comes into veiw. You may be total strangers." He scoffed. "You could even be the worst of enemies before that bud of hatred blossomed into a bright bouquet of affection."

He clicked next and handed the tiny remote device to Naruto.

"However," the blonde went on, "you can tell when it's love by these three standards." He clicked the button three times. "Time. Effort. And of course sincerity. No matter the case, two lovers are bound to spend time together, make an effort to express their feelings in some way, and they will always mean what they say."

He passed it over to Sakura. Nervously, she clicked the button.

"But then again, how can you tell that there's true sincerity in a relationship of any kind?" she posed. "That's simple enough." She clicked. "They stick together. So long as there is sincerity, there will be a couple." She clicked, the slide changed, and she passed it back to Sasuke. The last two slides, the actual bulk of the presentation, lasted another five minutes before group seven was finally done. Naruto asd Sasuke handled the questions, and they were finally done. When yhey got their thumbsup, a huge burden was lifted from their shoulders-- except for Naruto that is. He had to go back to work now that he was finished.\

"Well now," Kakashi said as he finished examining his notes. "I believe that's the best I've seen all day

"Really?" Sakura asked expectantly. "Do you have our grade already??"

"Tch! Don't get your hopes up," Sasuke advised her. "I know Kakashi. A good grade could be just passing to him."

"No, no," the silver-haired man said, defending himself. "I was fair this time." I smile graced him behind that shock of hair he always used to hide his face. "You got a ninety-four."

"What?!" Sakura exclaimed. "That just makes an A you cheap-skate!!"

"Well, Miss Haruno, you should have contributed more." Their teacher scratched lazily at the back of his head as he stretched. Sitting for so long was tiring. "Had you spoken for more than ten seconds and maybe shown that you did, in fact, know what you were talking about, you would've made a ninety-eight."

"Oh." The pink haired girl settled down after that. "S-sorry guys."

Sasuke just shrugged. A ninety-whatever didn't hurt his GPA at all. Naruto, on the other hand, was much more caring.

"Aww, don't worry about it, Sakura-chan!" He even went as far as to put an arm around her shoulders. "It's still an A, right?"

"Well, yeah but..."

"Well then we're fine." He flashed her a smile that dazzled her a bit. She wasn't used to seeing Naruto so optimistic. Happy, yes. Energetic, sure. But she always knew that right there, a scratch away from the surgace, he was a very, very glum person. Murphy's law just about ran his life. Of course, she didn't have any proof of this, but she was good with emotions. Even if he wasn't one of her good friends, he stood out, and Sakura did pick up on those things.

After about five seconds of gawking at his overall new personality, she smiled back. "I guess so."

"Uzumaki," Sasuke sighed from his spot. He'd finished putting away the project and generally cleaning up after everyone else's project as well.

"Yeah?" the blonde called back.

"Kakashi's letting us pick bus partners since he's supervising," the young Uchiha explained.

"...So?"

"So sit with me," the ashen brunette nearly pouted.

Naruto furrowed his brow and stuck his thumb to his bottom lip to bite on the nail. "You want me to?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said shifting his weight uncomfortably. He didn't like speaking on civil terms while other people were around. It raised something like a suspicioun, and he was sure of it. Especially Sakura. She was one of the worst next to Ino. "You are my only friend in here afterall..."

"Sure!" Naruto replied. "I'll sit with you Sasuke!! ...Even though that was a total lie," he added sticking his tongue out.

"It was not," the raven defended, stepping a bit closer to the pair of students before him. "How exactly was I lying?"

"Hyuuga's in here, remember?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "He's already sitting with that problem-child Subakuno."

"... So you'd sit with him before me if he wasn't??" Naruto gawked.

Sasuke rolled his eyes again. He filled in the gap between himself and the blonde and gently pulled him from Sakura. Sasuke dropped his own arm around the blonde and used that hand to tug on his hair. "Course not, dobe."

Naruto winced at the pain, but the insult was what finally got him fired up. "Didn't I tell you to stop calling me that?!" he cried. "You know, I'd have a right mind to get my cousin on your ass. Or you know what? That brother of mine just might work too!!"

"Oh yeah?" Sasuke scoffed. "I'd like to see them try it. I think the only one that could get me right about now is that father of yours."

"Hey," Chouji whispered in the background. Sakura was the one that heard it. "Aren't they a bit chummy? I thought they hated each other??"

"Forget that," Shikamaru replied. "I thought Uzumaki was orphaned and lived alone. Doesn't he have like... no family?"

"Sasuke heard that one. "Nara," he called across the room.

"Uh... yeah?"

"Mind your own damn business," the older raven advised. "You'll live longer, I promise."

"Yeah," the pierced boy agreed. "Sorry."

"What was that about?" Naruto asked his secret lover. "He's my friend you know..."

"Is he?" Sasuke asked. "Well, I guess we''ll just have to see at lunch then, won't we?"

"Sitting with us?"

"This one time, yeah."

"Ha, you won't survive."

And he was right. Sasuke wanted to kill himself at that lunch table. The exchanged kid was still there, and he was just the best of chums with Konohamaru. Those two were louder than anyone could imagine-- and Konohamaru wasn't even supposed to be there!! He had a second chance to get the plane, but he 'missed it' by five minutes. Tragic.

Aside from those two making more noise than the war of 1812, Kiba nd his boyfriend were there. That was a sickening sight in itself. They bickered like they were already married, but the cuddled like they were just craving to get each other's clothes off. And Sasuke knew well enough what that look looked like. He was no stranger to wanting to get someone naked. Naruto was proof of that.

"Hey, Naruto. A question?" Sasuke started paying attention again when he heard his blonde's name. It's always a good idea to pay attention when your significant other is involved.

"Yeah??" the tiny teen replied, still stuffing his face with the slop that they served called chicken-divine. It was just chicken, rice, cheese, and broccoli. They were only trying to make it sound better than it was. Which wasn't really that bad to begin with.

"What's that on your neck?" the lazy Nara boy inquired.

Naruto stopped, stunned. As far as he knew, there wasn't _anything_ on his neck. Putting his fork down, he asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Right here." Shikamaru lifted his hand to tap at a spot on his own throat that Naruto noted was very popular with a certain someone.

"What's it look like..?" the shiskered boy asked, using two fingers to feel at it.

"Purple."

"Bastard!!" Naruto shouted, slamming his fist on the table. A blush overtook him, and he felt it as it continued to crawl its way down his back.

"The hell is wrong with you?!" Kiba cried, scrambling to keep from falling out of Kankurou's lap.

"UGH!!" Naruto cried. "You'd think the idiot would _say_ something about leaving a mark!!" he snapped, turning to look at his class president.

Sasuke just shrugged. "Don't look at me. You weren't at my place last night; I don't know what happened."

"LIAR!!" Naruto accused, jabbing a finger in the young heir's face. "I was with you this weekend too, you know!! When did this show up?!"

Sasuke let out a smile. Wait, no that was a smirk. The all-knowing-kiss-your-ass-with-the-truth smirk. "Wednesday night."

Naruto's eyes went wide as he remembered that night. He gave a presentation to a bunch of business men. Either he caught that hickey before or after. He was thinking that latter was what happened. If it hatd, he might have had to commit suicide.

"Don't worry," Sasuke advised with a wave of the hand. "The hickey isn't from Snake-bastard. It's from your boyfriend."

Naruto gasped aloud. "That means I had it during the presentation!!"

Sasuke shook his head. "No. He was actually pretty careful albeit haphazard if it's still there. It was hidden throughout the entire show you did."

"Hey, Porn-star," Kiba growled from his lover's lap. "Mind filling me in?"

"Kiba!!" Naruto shrieked. "He gave me a hickey!! That dumb bastard gave me a hickey and didn't even tell me about it!!"

The ferral teen thought for a few seconds. "...Your boyfriend, yeah?"

"Duh!!"

Kiba scoffed. "Tell him I give him kudos on that one. I haven't seen a hickey on you since you started that awful job you know."

"KIBA!!" the blonde shrieked, his blush creeping further and further down his chest.

"What?" the dog lover whined.

"Help me fix it!!"

"The hell am I supposed to do??"

"Here," Sasuke said rolling his eyes. He handed Naruto a fine toothed comb from his pocket.

"The hell am I supposed to do witht this?!"

"Idiot," the young raven breathed. "You can run the comb over it to kind of distribute out the blood so that it _looks_ a bit better at least."

"... Where the hell did you learn that?!"

Sasuke famous smirk came into place again. "Your father."

"Pfft!! Whatever," the blonde grumbled, snatching the comb away. He began to administer the technique to his neck when he was asked another question.

"So... who's this dad of yours?" Shikamaru asked. "I thought your parents died in grade school?"

Naruto furrowed his brow. "You knew about that?"

He shrugge. "Dad was in charge of records."

"Oh..." Naruto's frown deepened and he continued to use the blue comb to try and fix his awful problem. "So yeah, my new guardian. I refer to him as dad."

"He's got a name, yeah?"

"Fukingu Echidna."

Sasuke let loose that time. Everyone saw the expression of shock and disbelief on his face.

Naruto was last to notice. "... What?"

"The hell kinda name is _THAT_?!" the young heir cried.

"...Fukingu's??" Naruto suggested. "What's wrong with it?"

"It sounds damn close to my own father's name you know!!"

Naruto shrugged. "Coinicidence??" He shrugged again. "I know what your dad looks like, and he damn sure isn't the same person."

"Really now?" the raven growled.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. He's on my student ID and everything. Wanna see one of his credit cards? take a look." Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out two plastic cards and brandished them for Sasuke, and whoever else wanted to look, to see.

Sasuke grabbed the card from the blonde, and felt queasy. "Naruto..."

"Yeah?"

"Why is it spelled like 'Fucking you'??" the distraught prince choked.

Naruto shrugged. "Ask him the next time you're over, yeah?"

"I think I'll have to," the obsidian-eyed teen growled. Examining Naruto's student ID card, he scoffed in annoyance. "Thirty-seven..."

"That's a suitable age to have a fifteen year old kid, is it not?" the blonde pouted.

"Yeah," the raven agreed. "I guess it is..."

The tiny table settled down a bit, but the silence was hort lived. Much like his older buddy, Konohamaru had a tendency to pick up on things and then display them for all to see without thinking firrst. "Hey, Naruto!!"

"What??" the blonde asked, a bit startled at the sudden shout. He'd managed to drop his spork, and Sasuke had to give him his.

"Why are the two of you hanging out like this all the sudden?"

"Uh..." Naruto felt his blush crawling again, but it had never gone away due to embarressment and a heated discussion later.

Sasuke just scoffed to himself as he placed his chin in his hand. Stupid kids... He wasn't even supposed to be there. He was supposed to finish out the semester in Kyoto, or Tokyo, or whereever the hell it was. He shouldn't have been around to ask the question that no one else dared to ask. Let alone with everyone they knew together in one room that was ablke to hear it too.

"Well??" the younger orphan prompted.

"We're just hanging out..." the blonde grumbled. "It's not a crime or anything, is it?"

"Really," Sasuke added. "I'm not forcing him to be my friend or anyrhing. If I was, I'd be on a few hit lists."

"Like whose?" the youngster persued.

Sasuke sighed, not believing how low he must've sunk to start answering to kids. He started counting on his fingers nonetheless... "Fukingu, Subakuno, Hyuuga, the other Hyuuga, Kiba, Sarutobi-- not you kid-- and of course, his boyfriend."

"Whose name witll remain indisclosed," the whiskered teen piped before anyone could press the oddly open class president further. A few grumbles went around the table, but Kiba just snickered in Kankurou's hold.

"You know who it is, Inuzuka?" Shikamaru asked deftly.

"Psht..." Kiba rolled his eyes. "Why the hell wouldn't I?"

"Care to share?"

Naruto looked over at his fur-covered friend with panic in his eyes. Kiba was a loudmouth, he knew that. Kiba was a gossip, he knew that too. But he was sure Kiba wouldn't rat him out like that... Right?"

"Nah," the red streaked teen replied lanquidly. "I promised I wouldn't. It's a loyalty thing."

Naruto silently thanked every deity in existance before letting hsi blush go away finally. It came back ten fold when someone wrapped their arms around him and licked at his ear from behind. It was quick, so he was sure no one saw, but the fact that it was done was horrid. The tiny teen jumped from his seat, thinking that maybe he 'd knock the other person back with the chair, but apparently they were far too striong for that.

"Wh-what the hell?!" the scared blonde cried as he attempted to turn to look his captor in the eye. Sadly, that person just put him in a chokehold. Any normal onlooker would think there was a fight going on. But, being who and where they were, it was easily dismissed as a friendly scuffle.

"Let go dammit!!" the blonde cried. He was starting to wonder why NONE of his friends were attempting to help him-- not even Sasuke was!! Some freak stranger was attacking him, but no one was doing anything!!

"Let him go... Fukingu," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes.

That was when Naruto stopped struggling. "What the fuck are you doing here??" he asked, still not needing to see who it was. It was Itachi of course. And, of course, he probably looked like Sasuke's aunt. Unless he had a new getup for his new fatherly-figure position.

"We're leaving early," the older man explained. "You've got a follow up appointment for that operation of yours."

"Don't you think it would have been NICE to TELL me that?!" the captured studnet squawked.

"Don't complain. We're bringing Sasuke too. I've got permission."

"...Still?" the younger Uchiha asked. He knew that, years ago, Itachi had a card that allowed him to pick Sasuke up whenever he wanted, but he didn't think he'd still have that thing. He had, supposedly, disappeared, and had he ever been caught with such a thing, the authorities would surely bring him in.

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like I've had it before..."

Sasuke shook his head at his stupid mistake. "Sorry, I was thinking of someone else..."

"Hey, Naruto!!" Konohamaru cried. "This is your guardian?!"

"Uhm..." the tiny blonde swallowed passed a lump in his throat, "Y-yeah. What's wrong with him??"

It was Shikamaru's turn to raise a brow. "Nothing. He seems pretty badass is all."

"Is that a compliment?" the pale man asked.

"It is around here," the Nara boy said.

"Then I'll say thanks.".

"...What the hell are you wearing?" Naruto finally asked.

"Would you like to see?" the man behind him asked in a gravely tone.

"Well... yeah," Naruto insisted, slightly unnerved.

"Alright, fine." Itachi let the tiny freshman go, and he turned as quickly as he could to get a look at his older friend. And Naruto was stunned.

Itachi looked like he should own a motorcycle. He had the whole biker get up. There was the leather jacket-- more of a vest really since there were no sleeves. Thank everything he had a tee-shirt under it because he didn't see fit to zip the damned thing up. He had the denim jeans, only his were tight and ovrly so. Boots were what he wore on his feet, but they looked okay. They weren't too cowboy country, or too feminine high. His hair was out and slightly tossled, something like what he'd done to Sasuke's for the party. And he had accessories. Sunglasses were on his head, he had one of those choker things that went along with the odd necklace he always had to wear. He had a spiked wristband (since he refulsed to call them bracelets) to match that. Oh yes, Itachi knew how to work the biker look, Naruto just didn't know why he was sporting it.

"And you're dressed like this because...?"

Itachi just smiled. "I had to come get you, Ru. I can't leave the house in my normal attire, even if I did have on all those cosmetics."

"..But you still _do_ have them on," Naruto pointed out.

Itachi shrugged. "It helps. But come on," he added, pulling kets from. somewhere no one else saw and putting th backs of his fists on his hips. "We're going to be late, and I'd rather not have to schedule another appointment for your sorry ass."

"You're so nice," Naruto said with a friendly eyeroll. "Really, how do you do it?"

"I'm serious," the elder Uchiha grumbled. "We need to leave. NOW."

"Okay, okay..." Naruto grabbed his jacket off of the back of his chair and swung it over his shoulder. "Let's go, Uchiha," he said with a jerk of the head.

Sasuke smirked and rose to his feet, "I can see why it's spelled 'fucking you'."

Naruto cocked his brow. "Really? Why? I thought there was just some humor in there."

"Nope, nope." Sasuke smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "I think it's because of his profession."

"And... why is that?"

"Because Echidna's have a four-headed penis."

"What?!" Naruto huffed up and pushed Sasuke away. "That's completely rididculous!!"

"Well, I've been through the county reconds more than anyone in the entire area, and the name 'Echidna' has never crossed me eye."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the blonde snapped.

"It means he picked a bad name," Sasuek whispered as he walked by to catch up with his retreating brother.

"You know what Uchiha!!" the blonde howled after him, trying to catch up. "You're a sorry excuse of a friend!!"

-.-.-.-

"Alright, alright," Kakashi said lazily, settle down everyone." Even though it was lethargic, there was still some authority in his voice. So, the raoudy teenagers that all stood before him couldn't help but listen. They always thought that there was some kind of strict side to Hatake, but he wouldn't show it unless he honestly felt the need. Luckily, that never came around, and they damn sure weren't going to start the trend that unleashed the evil Kakashi.

The remaining time for the trip had finally passed, and everyone that was going was more than excited. How often do you get to go away to a luxury hotel with your friends for a week? Especially with the school and only four teachers!! There was no way that they could stay settled down for too long. They were just so hyped for it. The retreat was pretty much the highlight of the school year for most students, and it wasn't every year that they got a great one like this.

"Thank you," he said with the smile that any one could only see half of. "Now, everyone knows who their bus partner is, as do I so don't try anything, got it?" He scratched the back of his head in boredom. "I'll be coming around to check so just hurry up and get seated."

A commotion started, so he had to hold his hand up and raise his voice slightly to get their attention again. "Wait a minute!!"

They calmed down real quick.

"A word of caution-- The council members have been divided amongst the buses There are four buses, so we put two on each. Hyuuga will be sitting in the middle fire escape seat, I will be in the front, and Sasuke is in the back. Understand?"

He took the mass commotion that fired up again as a yes. Once everyone had found their partner and gotten what they considered to be a good seat, Kakashi sent Neji out to count heads. While he did so, a question was raised by Shikamaru who was sitting with Chouji.

"Sir?" he called from his seat across from their instructor.

"Hm?" was all he got out the man who was reading _Teachers' Weekly_. Everyone knew he hid some other little book between the pages since he never turned the big magazine ones. He always reached to the center and flipped something there. He said there was a small comic that they placed in the centerfold, but no one believed that.

"Is there a reason that you don't enforce the 'boys sit with boys and girls sit with girls' rule??" the Nara boy asked, intrigued by Kakashi's unconventional methods.

"Because it's a stupid rule," the instructor implied. "There is such a thing as bi- and homosexuality. There's no point in punishing anyone. So I just let my students pick... So long as they aren't having sex in the seats, I'm fine with it."

"... Oh," was all Shikamaru said as he settled back down into his seat by the window.

"Everyone's here, Sir," Neji informed as he made it to the front of the bus after his head count.

"Fantastic," Kakashi said, signaling the driver with a wave of the wave. The driver beeped, and all they had to do was wait for the other three buses to signal their ready. Neji returned to his seat, and everyone was allowed to talk if they wanted to now that the important stuff was over. At the back of the bus, Naruto was slightly uncomfortable.

"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke asked from next to him. He was standing to reach into his bag that was up in the overhead rack. He wanted to get out abook his brother had given him. He wasn't really one for the classics, but _Wuthering Heights_ seemed okay with the way Itachi had delved into it. Retrieving his desired item, Sasuke flopped back into his seat and cracked it open to the first page.

"Nothing," Naruto said after a while. He laid his head against the window and decided to just wait utnil the buses started. He was tired. They had to be at the school by five that morning, and Itachi, being his overly involved self, wanted to get there at four forty-five. Much to Naruto's dismay, they made it at four tirty, and the poor blonde had to tough it out with Gai until Iruka got there. The green freak had gotten there half an hour before, and apparently had much to tell. He found grass growing to be a riveting subject, and took drowsy Naruto off to watch it for ten minutes in silence beofre insisting that they do at least fifty push ups to encourage it to grow strong like they were. The tiny teen could have pissed himself he was so happy when he saw Iruka and Kakashi clamber out of the older man's Volvo.

Just thinking about it gave him the chills. Wait... that was somethign else.

"Sasuke, get out of here," he grumbled, pushing the intruding hand away from his thigh. "Read your book like a good kid and let me sleep, please?"

Sasuke turned back to his book, but he didn't read it. Instead, he pouted and put up an arguement. "I always 'just let you sleep', and I never get anyhting out of it."

"You're not serious..." Naruto gasped, turning to look at the slightly offended raven. "You don't get anything out of it? And you let me sleep?? When did this happen??"

"What're you talking about, idiot?"

"Uchiha," the blonde started, licking his lips as he tried to put it together not so bluntly. "Well... you don't exactly sleep at night, you know."

"..What?"

"Well.. you whine a lot. It's not crying or anything, but you... whimper I guess?"

Sasuke sent him a sinister look from his spot on the seat that just begged him to elaborate.

"Okay, okay!!" Naruto thought once more so that he wouldn't be killed over his answer. "It's not a... bad thing really..."

"What else makes people 'whimper' in their sleep??"

"It's the stuff you say, you know?" Naruto rubbed at his arm to get rid of slight goose bumps as a blush overtook him. "You keep talking about me leaving you..."

* * *

So... we still don't know why itachi was at the pawn shop-- it wasn't for that outfit I promis you XD

We don't know why Sasuke was cautious about the card

and we don't know why Naruto;s so offended he didn't know about the pawn shop XP

BUT!! we learn new stuff

like Tachi's new name lol that was interesting... and yeah, Echidna's really have a four-headed penis XP

I think I'll draw that picture of him in that get up lol

There would be more to the chapter, but I want the bus ride to be my last long piece before the actual trip cuz... that's the end of it XD

well.. there's an epilogue to set up for the sequal but.. yeah. That'll be the end of Memories and Lies

But the beginning of Confusion and Deceit!! D


	36. Bus Ride

mmmm... i dunno. this is kinda what the bus rides on omy trips are XP except we play like.. alllll kinds of card games, not just BS. we play kemps, and ERS, and 4 kinds of poker lol

I don't think there was REALLY anything I need to address...

* * *

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, eyeing the younger freshman suspiciously. The buses had started to roll out, finally, so the chatter was starting to dull down as students pulled out the blankets and pillows and got ready to catch up on the sleep they'd missed. Sasuke was sure that they'd get their privacy if they kept quiet. Which was important because that was an outrageous claim.

"You like have a one sided conversation, since I can't hear the rest..." Naruto pushed some hair out of his face and looked down at his hands after placing them in his lap. "It sounds like you think I'm going to leave you, and then you start to like... beg me not to..."

Sasuke just looked on in disbelief as Naruto continued to concentrate on his hands. After a bit, he turned back to his book. "I'm not that emotionally unstable, Uzumaki."

Naruto sighed and turned back to the window. That was just the response he was expecting. He couldn't tell wether or not Sasuke believed him, but he did know that the raven wasn't so good with showing how he really felt. That went along with him not being able to say 'I love you'. It also went along with his inablility to come to terms with reality sometimes. And it went hand in hand with the fact that was still cutting himself against Naruto's wishes. Of course, that was Sasuke's choice, but he didn't have a reason for it anymore. He'd even said so himself earlier that week. Naruto figured he was just doing it out of habit now. Which wasn't good.

So no, Sasuke couldn't handle his emotions. He'd had them locked away for so long that he didn't know what to do if one leaked out. He'd usually try his best to just reel it back in, but that couldn't be good for him at all. Sasuke had a lot of pressure on him, and, even with Naruto there to chase some of it away, he was still considered the only heir to the Uchiha franchise. That being said, he still had to live up to a very high, precise reputation. And surpass his brother. And make his father acknowledge him for real. And have his mother kiss him again.

Yes, Sasuke had a lot on his mind, but that couldn't be anything compared to what Naruto had to deal with. The blonde was usually one for the benefit of the doubt, but there was just no room for it this time. Sasuke was being a prick, and he knew it.

Sure they had the common threat of the student body to both deal with, and Sasuke had his company-- but Naruto had a lot more on his plate.

Now that the project was over, and the trip had come, he was going to go back to work when they returned. It was back to the unrelenting grind for the tiny teen, and he didn't like it one bit. More hassle from freak patients at the hospital, more perverted old men trying to cop a feel at the reseraunt. More having to see Orochimaru...

Of course, Sasuke would be there too, but Naruto and Itachi wouldn't let anyone touch him, not at all. They would come as a package deal to anyone that wanted to be hosted by either one at the club. Naruto would be the sweet, innocent entertainer, and Sasuke would be the one that provided the excitement in trying to get Naruto's attention over the customer. Of course, that was very populat-- it was like live porn, but it still didn't mean much work for Sasuke. He did that now.

Naruto would have to deal with that snake bastard as soon as they walked in the door. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that he would be whisked away somewhere so that Sasuke could get into his proper attire, and Orochimaru would want to 'assist' Naruto with getting into his.

A sigh escaped him as he pondered the soon to be future. No, Sasuke had no reason to be moody, cutting himself or otherwise.

Naruto didn't really notice the person that had moved against him in reality now, it was more so instinct that said mhe'd been left alone too long for it to be a mere coincidential brush.

Naruto turned away from the window as he noticed that it was much brighter than he remembered. Apparently, he'd fallen asleep somewhere in his thought process. Rubbing at his now slightly sore eyes from the attack of the sun, he gave his attention to the motion on the bus.

"Where are we?" he asked. He didn't get an answer, so Naruto turned to look at the other occupant of the seat. Sasuke, who was also asleep, had accidently nudged the blonde when he rolled over. And, being him, was mumbling to himself just as Naruto said he did. With a sigh, the slighter teen decided to shake him awake when he noticed that the buses had started to slow down.

"Hey, asshole," he whispered, pushing at the raven's shoulder. "Get up. We're at a pit stop I think."

Sasuke let an aggitated sigh slip past his lips as he got to a sitting position. "Who says I'm an asshole?" he asked.

"I do," Naruto stated bluntly. "Either you don't believe me, or you don't trust me enough to admit that you love me."

Sasuke wasn't expecting that. He wasn't even expecting an answer. He was expecting the normal, playful banter he got after something like that-- a tap maybe. He never would have thought that Narout would straight out bash him for his inability to admit that he caread. And in such a way at that. He'd flat out hit Sasuke right where it hurt that time.

Sure, he loved Naruto, and Naruto knew that, he just oculdn't say so. He did, in fact, have trust issues. Not distinctly with the blonde, of course not. Just... with people in general. He'd seen so many back stabbings and betrayals in the business world that he just couldn't bring himself to trust anybody completely. And, because of that, he couldn't entrust Naruto fully with his heart.

He never thought that would be a problem though. He'd told him flat out in the note that he'd sent the blonde the first time he wrote 'I love you'. But, Naruto had said it was okay then. Sasuke was sure that the blonde knew where he was coming from with his lack of confidence in people, since he had his own, but maybe he was wrong. Sasuke didn't like to be forced into anything, but it was getting close to him not being able to help it. Either he pushed aside his untrusting ways, or he kept pushing away at the blonde's attemtps to get him to submit. Either way, he didn't like it.

"Alright," Kakashi called from the front of the bus after it had stopped. "We're taking a quick break. You've got thirty minutes for lunch. There's a Burger King, a McDonald's, a Taco Bell, and a Wendy's. Just go get something, eat it, and come back."

Everyone started moving, so Sasuke stood up. With a somber countenance, he extended a hand out to Naruto and opted to help him out of the small seat.

"Thanks," the whiskered teen said blandly, taking the hand offered to him and using it to pull himself up and out. He tripped due to a developed cramp, but the young heir caught him and held him there long enough to whisper to him.

"I'm sorry..."

Naruto blushed and scrambled back to his own shaky stance. Now that the bus was pretty much empty, just the driver and Kakashi were left, they could stall a bit. Scratching at the back of his head, the blonde looked down at the floor.

"Don't be," he said, something akin to shame lacing itself into his voice. "I shouldn't have come down on you like that..."

"No," Sasuke sighed, choosing to stare at the floor on the opposite side. "You're right. If there's anyone I can trust, it's you."

"Well... yeah, but--"

"There's no but," the raven deadpanned. He grabbed Naruto's wrist and the shocked teen was forced to look at him, afraid to send his gaze anywhere else because he thought that someone was watching. If they were, he damn sure didn't want to see the look on that person's face. Sasuke still stared at the floor.

"Sasuke," the blonde whined, "someon's gonna see us..."

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't care, dammit," he said softly. It was more like he was trying to assure himself of the validity of that statement than the younger freshman before him.

"Yes, you do," Naruto corrected, pulling himself free of his captor's hold. "I'm not gonna let your ruin yourself because I was a prick."

Sasuke finally moved his eyes back up to the tanned face in front of him. Naruto had on that sickeningly fake smile that Sasuke so often saw when the tiny teen tried to drop a subject that practically screamed to be addressed. It was a real problem this time. But, Naruto was consistant. If he was done talking about it, so was Sasuke.

With a sigh, he ran his hand through his hair and dropped it languidly. "Fine. Come on, we'll go eat. What do you want?"

"Tacos of course!!"

-.-

"Naruto, how the hell do you eat this crap all the time?" Sasuke asked from his spot next to the blonde. When they'd made it to the Taco Bell after their little heart to heart on the bus, they spotted Naruto's usual gang, and a few other people, and decided to sit with them. Well, they were more so invited really.

"Uhm, it's good," Naruto stated in question form. "How the hell else?"

"Yeah, but it's not good _for_ you," Sakura put in. "You should stick with salads."

"Haruno," Kiba called from Naruto's other side, "I'm pretty sure some of that splendid salad of yours fell into those grease pits at some point too."

"... They did not!!" the pink haired girl snapped back.

"Really now?" the painted teen challenged. "Then why the hell is that piece of lettuce already dripping? I'm sure that not even _your _breath is that raunchy."

Sakura closed her mouth and examined the green leaf on her fork. Sure enough, it was sopped over with something. And it wasn't dressing because she didn't believe in that either.

"Gross!!" she cried, dropping it back into its bowl. "Disgusting... I should'ce just gotten a cookie from McDonald's..."

"You're a real piece of work. You know that, Inuzuka?" Shikara asked.

"Damn sure do, Nara."

The rest of the table's occupants decided to actually eat first, indulge later. Those people consisted of Hinata who wouldn't think of speaking with food in her mouth, Neji who was just as pristine, Lee who just wanted it out of the way, Chouji who just wanted to eat, Ino who was just there to watch Sasuke, and Konohamaru and his best new buddy Goten.Kankurou was there too, but he was alternating tables between his siblings and his boyfriend, so he didn't really have a designated seat. If he did, it'd be under Kiba anyway.

"OH!! Kiba!!" Naruto gasped once a thought had hit him.

"What?!" Kiba barked back since he'd, again, almost fallen from the surprise of such an exclaimation from the tiny blonde.

"You wanna come over after this? Fukingu says it's okay to have a friend over finally."

"...Wasn't that prick behind you over already?" the feral teen asked, slightly confused.

"Sasuke doesn't count," Naruto said with a wave of the hand. "So do you wanna??"

"...Yeah sure. I'll bring the Xbox," Kiba said before biting into his squishy burrito a little too hard. It started to drip out on his plate.

"Jeez... You eat with way too much force if you squeeze its guts out every time, Kiba."

It was the first thing that the stoic prince had said, and it had been directed at Kiba. In a freindly banter kind of way. He was wearing that world renowned smirk of his that said he was entertained. Needless to say that everyone was shocked.

"Psht!" Kiba threw right back. "You're one to talk about being messy!!." He pointed a finger at the dark-haired wonder as he continued. "You leave more marks on your mate than an angry Doberman!!"

"M...Mate??" Sakura repeated. Ino joined her in her gawking. Hinata just blushed and looked away. As for the guys, they all knew it was a matter of time until Sasuke found a cute little number somewhere other than that retched school of theirs. They were all just shocked that Kiba knew about it.

"Really?" Sasuke bit back. "Well, at least I can exhibit self-control in public. The two of you might as well start a community orgy!!"

"Oh, excuse me for not being a closet exhibitionist!!"

"Okay, okay," Naruto cooed, spreading his hands out between the two. "Space guys, give us some space..."

Sasuke and Kiba hadn't noticed tha tthey were standing, leaned toward each other with fist formed and teeth bared until Naruto had to stand as a median between them. They eased up off of each other and sat back down. Naruto followed suit and continued to eat his hard shell taco.

"Uhm..." Hinata had finished and dumped her tray without notice. "S...sasuke-kun??" she called.

"Hn?"

"Do you have a... a g-girlfriend??" she asked, staring down at the thumbs as the stiddled them under the table.

"Who said that??" Sasuke ssked, slightly offended. He damn sure didn't have a girlfriend.

"K-kiba-kun..."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and let an irritated scoffed escape him. "Loud mouthed idiot... Yeah, sort of..."

"You're not playing people are you?!" Sakura gasped, wide eyed.

"What? No!" the ashen teen emphasized. "It's just... not really a girlfriend I guess.. Kind of... Well... Acts like it but..."

Naruto snickered from next to him, and Sasuke shot him a hate filled looked. Naruto pretended that he was just clearing his throat.

"Sasuke-kun??" Sakura called hopefully.

He sighed before going back to his taco. "It's complicated," he stated curtly before taking a bite, effectively closing the subject.

-.-

"Things got a little too hot for you there?" Naruto jeered once they were back in their seat on the bus. Neji was, once again, conducting a head count.

"Shut it, Uzumaki," Sasuke warned. "You're the one who said that I shouldn't ruin myself or... whatever."

"I know... You're so cute when you fluster though," the tiny freshman sated with a cheek splitting grin.

Sasuke just harrumphed him.

"Hey, Naruto!!" Kiba called from his seat diagonal to theirs.

"Yeah??"

"Wanna play Bullshit?? No one has the seat across from us."

"Will that work??" the blonde asked, slightly puzzled. Usually, Bullshit was played withe the participants sitting in a circle or somthing.

"Sure!!" the streaked boy announced. "We'll just have you and Kank' on one side, me and Sasuke on the other."

Naruto's eyes lit up and he patted Sasuke on the leg, pulling him out of his book. "Hey, hey!! Wanna play BS with us??"

Sasuke raised a brow at the unfamiliar word. "Play what??"

"Bullshit!!" Naruto gasped. "You've never played BS before?! It's a card game."

Sasuke continued to stare.

"Whatever," Naruto said, pushing Sasuke from the seat to join Kiba. He dragged Sasuke with him just in case he intended on finishing that book. "We have to teach 'Suke," he announced.

"It's... really not that complicated," Kiba explained. "Here's what you do... First, deal all the cards even. Then, whoever has an ace, puts it on the table, facedown." He demonstrated on the 'table' that was just a suitcase he'd pulled from the rack. "Then, we keep going, in the circle, until someone is out of cards."

"Then why the hell is it called Bullshit?" Sasuke asked.

"'Cause you can lie!!" Naruto cheered. "See, look." He pulled the first card from the deck in Kiba's hand. "This is a seven, but the next card is a two. Say I don't have any twos. You just have to keep a straight face and hope like hell that someon doesn't have like... three of them."

"That's when you call 'Bullshit' or... 'BS' since Naruto tries not to swear," Kank' went on. "If the card that's flipped isn't right, then the person that put it down takes the whole pile. If it is right, the person that called them out takes it. Object of the game is to get rid of all your cards."

"Sounds simple enough," the raven scoffed.

"You think so huh?" Kiba challenged as he shuffled the cards back together. "We'll see about that."

-.-

"Bullshit."

"Dammit!!" Kiba exclaimed. He scooped up the pile in a huff. He had almost been out. On his last card, which was a five, he called a four, and Sasuke called him on it. He, apparently, had the game figured out after about his third try. The raven prince had deceloped a stradegy and everything. He'd wait until the pile was pretty high, and, when he knew someone had to be lying ((or they tossed their last card)) he'd call someone on it. And, with his practice of keeping a straight face his entire life, he could lie all he wanted. He'd precount the circle to see what cards he needed, and gradually toss out the empty ones when it was his turn. Yes, the unexperienced Uchiha was a natural.

A few more laps around the circle, and he was down to his last card. Unfortunately, luck wasn't with him that time. His last card was a jack, and he needed an ace. He had no other joice though. Even though the pile was about ten cards, he couldn't possibly throw something else down.

"One jack," he said as he tossed it flippantly. Kiba wasn't going to call it, he had half the deck by now almost. Kank' just liked to play it safe, and it was Naruto's turn next. Either he called it, or Sasuke got away with it and won again.

"...Ya gonna call him, Porn Star??" Kiba asked hopefully. "It's up to you."

"But... look at him," Naruto said. "He looks all smug and high on his horse... He's way too confident."

Sasuke started the victory parade in his head. And people said he was no good with normal games.

"BS," Naruto said disgustedly. He reached to the pile and flipped the card. "Told you, way too confident."

"You're a pain in my ass if I ever met one," the young Uchiha grumbled.

"Ha," Kiba scoffed. "You should play poker with him." He nudged Sasuke in the arm to emphasize his point. "He always has the same stupid look on his face, like he doesn't know what he's doing, so you can never call him on anything!! Never bet money with Uzumaki..."

"Kiba," said blonde whined. "You make me seem like a crook." He pouted to add to the affect.

"He's not far off," Kankurou scoffed. "You cheat everyone with that poker face of yours."

"Your just jealous," the tiny teen gloated as he went to pick his card.

"Bullshit," Kiba called before it even hit the table.

"What?!" Naruto shrieked. "I haven't even dropped it yet!!"

Kiba flipped his wrist over to show off his first four cards only. "I''ve got all the queens, ya little shit."

Naruto harrumphed and withdrew his card.

In the end, Sasuke won anyway.

-.-

"Alight," Kakashi started as the buses continued to trek onward. Naruto thought it was odd that he always addressed them with an 'alright' before anything else. "We're about two hours awaty now," he stated. "If you're going to eat anything else, do it now because in half an hour, we're cleaning up, and no other food is coming out of those bags.

A chubby hand raised in the air, and Kakashi sighed. "Except for you Chouji," he said rolling his eyes. "We know about your problem, thank you."

"Hey, 'Suke," Naruto said, tapping the boy next to him.

"Hn?" Sasuke sounded back. He was rather annoyed to be disturbed. He had just reached the part in the book where Crazy Cathy had caved and told the maid woman that she loved Heathcliff.

"Will you grab my bag for me?" the petite blonde asked politely. "I wanna get something out."

"Yeah," Sasuke sighed. He folded his bookmark in place between the frayed pages of the old book and sat it in Naruto's lap to hold. After getting the blonde's bag down, effectively blinding himself in the process since it was THE brightest orange he'd _ever _seen, he sat and exchanged objects with the younger boy.

"Jesus..." Sasuke murmered, rubbing at his eyes. "Your choice in color astounds me."

"Well, I've got yo rival your black in our house later somehow," the blonde piped.

"And your hair doesn't do a good enough job?" Sasuke scoffed.

"Nope!!" Naruto cheered as he popped open his case. He pulled out two black sharpies-- one fat, the other very fine point. He grabbed a bag of gummies for later, too. "Can you put it back?"

"Sure," Sasuke sighed. When he finally made it back to his seat, he was slightly disturbed to see Naruto's shirt off and him drawing on himself. "What in the hell are you doing?"

"Who?" the blonde asked like it could be someon else. "Me? I'm updating my scars, what else?"

Sasuke tried to blink away his shock. "Updating??"

Naruto rolled his eyes before explaining, still carrying out his task. "He used a butterknife, Sasuke. That mark wasn't going to stay there forever you know. That's why it didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would. It faded pink way too quick, so I have to make it look a little charred at least."

"Lucky," Sasuke griped, pushing at the tiny teen a bit.

"How so? This comes off in the tub you know."

"I didn't get the luxury of an Uchiha to do mine," Sasuke griped.

"Well, yeah," Naruto reasoned, "but you don't have to worry about it like I do. If I''m seen without it by someone, mine and Tachi's ass are gone."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah," Naruto went on. "That's why, when I turn eighteen, I'm just gonna get a tatoo there. Maybe seventeen if I really feel like it."

"Oh," Sasuke said from beside him as he cracked his book open again. "Sounds like a good idea."

Naruto took in a fake gasp and wore a mask of mock shock. "D-did you just... Sasuke-- wat that... a _compliment_??"

The young heir rolled his eyes and grabbed Naruto's bag of gummies, stealing two before putting it back. "Shut up and finish your drawing, dobe."

Naruto just giggled to himself as he finished up his tiny job.

The next two hours seemed to take an eternity. When they finally did make it, there was utter chaos amongst the students of Konoha P. A. High.

--


	37. Arrival

Hmm.. random fluff before I really close it up? lol yeah, that's what this is... well, hope u like it anywhooooo...  
there's not much going on here really. I just wanted to get them there and settled in so that I could set up for the BAM!! IN YOUR FACE!! type drama that I have PLANNED...  
that's not a promise that it'll be any good -.-" but, if you've read this thing this far, you probably like my writing anyway ) so, go read this. I'll have the last bits up in no time

* * *

"Alright," Kakashi started up again once everyone was off the buses and standing outside the hotel lobby. "Alright!!" he repreated. Still, the students were way too excited to settle down. They'd been waiting the entire school year for this, and they were way to happy that the time had finally come.

"HEY!!" Iruka cried instead from next to the silver-haired man. "SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!!"

If you didn't listen to Kakashi, you damn sure listened to Iruka.

Kakashi cleared his throat from next to him. "Thank you, UImino. Now," he stated, returned to face the students. "I've got your room keys, AND a list of the roommates. You're not switching partners now, so I don't want to hear it, okay?"

"A question, sir?" Shikamaru asked, raising his hand.

Kakashi nodded at him.

"Did you enforce the 'boys with boys and girls with girls' rule here at least??"

Kakashi looked a bit confused a first, but the half of his mouth that people could see was lifted up in a grin. "No, actually. You all just assumed that yourselves." There were a few murmers about his uncouth methods, but he went on anyway. "So, we'll call your names, you'll come up with your roommate, and wait there until three thirty. At that time, we'll all meet in the back for a quick activity before you go off on your own, alright?"

He got a jumbled response of yeses, yeps, yeahs, and okays.

"Lovely. Umino? You've got the voice."

Iruka nodded and took the list from Kakashi's hands. "Tenten and Hinata," he started. The two girls went up, got their card-keys and continued off into the hotel, glad to be the first ones to be inside. They expected to be the best behaved out of the whole group. "Sakura and Ino."

They followed suit of the two girls before them. When they got their cards, Kakashi whispered to them though. "No fighting," he mumbled. "Especially since I know you got the hall next to Uchiha. I don't want complaints."

"Aww," Ino crooned, "Sakura and me?? We're like.. the best of friends!!" She grinned a little too hard and out too much effort in hugging the pink-haired girl around the shoulders. Anyone could see the tension crackling between them. Kakashi sighed, rolled his good eye, and dropped the keys int their hands.

"Lee and Shino??" Iruka called out. The pairing confused him a bit.

When the came up, Kakashi was practivally grinning. "Don't have too much fun, boys."

"... Are you being facetious?" Shino asked, clearly unamused.

"Come, new friend!!" Lee rejoiced, grabbing the bug-lover under the elbow. "We shall venture through the glorious hotel to our even more luxurious room!!"

Shino sighed audibly.

"I take it no one was left?" Kakashi called as the green boy dragged the other away. He got a nod of defeat in return.

"Neji," Iruka whined out to the students, "what the hell is a 'K-squared?'"

"Kank' and Kiba!!" he heard the boy call back.

"Alright boys, let's go."

They made their way to Kakashi, both painted and slightly groggy. The paint was smudged a bit.

"Do me a favor?" Kakashi sighed. "Let's not exhibit too much and get me fired, hmm??"

"Sure thing, Hatake!!" Kiba jeered, grabbing both their cards. "You are my favorite professor after all."

"Oh joy," Kakashi said blandly as they bounced off.

The room assignments continued until there were just four people left, and Iruka was pretty sure he knew who was boarding with who. A sigh escaped the weary young man as he folded the list and slid it in his jacket.

"What're you doing, Iruka??" Kakashi asked, bewildered. "We have to know who's with who."

Iruka rolled his eyes and held his hand out to the blonde and his boyfriend, curling his fingers twice to becon them forward. "Sasuke and Naruto are together, as are Gaara and Neji. Gai's with Asuma, and you're with me. Can you give them their keys now so I can get a nap in before that dumbass activity you've got planned?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes and muttered a 'yeah right' before pulling out the last four sets of cards. He was unable to tell the differnce. Iruka sighed and opted to help him out. Turning them over, he pointed out the tiny initials that the silver-haired man had missed on the toher sets. There was one marked 'UU', another 'HS', another 'GS', and the last one that said, 'UH'. The letters were scrawled in washable marker in the bottom right corner.

"...Oh." Kakshi tossed each pair of boys their set before dragging Iruka off to look for the other two chaperones.

"Can't belive you two boarded together..." Naruto murmmered as he went over to see his red headed friend. "What the hell??"

Gaara just shrugged. "I thought it'd be nice to be with someone else for a change, you know?"

"You're a damn liar," Naruto huffed, puffing out his cheeks like a little kid. "Fine, don't tell me then." He grabbed Sasuke by the wrist and hauled him off into the hotel. They had about forty-five minutes before the activity out back, so he figured he'd follow Iruka's example and get some _comfortable_ sleep too.

Neji sighed from next to Gaara. "You're a brave man, Subakuno. You know he can hold a grudge."

"I do," the stoic teen agreed. "More than anyone, believe me."

When Naruto and Sasuke made it to the room, the tiny blonde shed himself of his clothes and collapsed face first onto the closest bed. Stripped down to his boxers, he could feel the coolness of the fresh comforter under him. It was soft and fluffy, and he sank into the inviting feeling after a fun, yet awful, trip on the bus. He hadn't slept well in over six hours, and he wanted to make the best of his accomodations as soon as he could.

"Would I be wrong in assuming that you were tired?" Sasuke asked, shutting the door behind him. He pulled his suitcase to the other availavle bed and left it at the foot to stay. He sat down on the bed to kick his sneakers off, and then he followed the blonde's actions in getting down to his silken shorts.

"You'd be very right," Naruto said, his voice muffled by the bed. He'd waited until he couldn't hear Sasuke's movements to ensure that he was heard.

"Really now?"

Naruto was going to respond, but he was shocked into silence. Sasuke had, without the blonde hearing, circled aroudn to Naruto's feet and pounced ontop of him.

"D-dammit, Sasuke!!" the tiny teen shrieked. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Awake now?" the not-so-stoic teen asked. Even he would admit to the personality change that he went through when he and Naruto were alone.

Naruto stopped struggling under the raven when he heard the playful tone in his voice. "You know... I think you're the one with split personalities sometimes."

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" the older freshman asked, pressing down a bit on the whiskered boy beneath him.

"Ah!! Sasuke!!" the cerulean-eyed teen hissed. "That hurts, dammit!!"

"..Does it honestly??"

"Yes, dammit!!" Naruto cried. "Cut it out!!"

Sasuke eased up on his crushing and managed to roll the blonde over under him. "I'm sorry." He wrapped his arms awkwardly around the smaller teen's body, and Naruto decided to help him out. He lifted his hips a bit so Sasuke could arange himself comfortably, and he could snake his own tanned arms around the pale boy's neck.

"There's nothng to be sorry about," he said before placing a quick kiss on the brunette's forehead.

"Hey, Ru..."

"Hm?"

"We're like... practically naked you know."

"Point being?" Naruto asked, raising a brow.

"That doesn't... bother you??" Sasuke pondered, speckling a bit of pink on his cheeks in the process.

It took a bit for Naruto's brain to register what he meant. When he did get it right finally, he laughed and squeezed the ashen teen closer. "No, Sasuke, it doesn't. You love me, you just can't say it. We're prostitutes, but that doesn't mean I'm expecting sex from you."

"Thanks," Sasuke mummbled, resting his face in the junction of the blonde's neck and shoulder.

"Besides," Naruto went on, "I don't think I'd want it anyway with your horrible lack of experience."

"I'd be in my right mind to bite you right now," the raven heir growled.

"But you won't!!" the blonde piped.

"You're right." Sasuke seemed to want to stress that fact by flicking his tongue over the skin available to him.

"Cut it out, lecher."

"Why? It's not rape."

Naruto giggled a bit from under the larger teen. "You're right. I like it too much."

-.-

"Alright!!" Kakashi cheered when he had everyone counted again. "It's nice to see that you all turned up!! So, we have something that we'd like you to do before we let you go have your fun. If you would, Umino?"

Iruka started walking around the group, handing a sheet of paper to each person. As he did so, Kakashi continued to talk. "I want all of you to fill this out. It'a kind of like a survey if you will."

Everyone filled out their survey quickly before passing them back up to Kakashi. "Right. Now!! I'm going to call one of you up and read off one of these things. You're going to tell me weither or not it's the one your partner filled out. That's why we wouldn't let any roommates sit together."

"Oh man.." Kiba groaned from next to Naruto. "Good luck with yours."

Naruto just smiled back at him. "I won't need it, but thanks anyway!!" Kiba just scoffed at his confidence.

"If we can get a pair that cant correctly pick out their partner's survey," Kakashi went on, "then they can go and relax for the rest of the day. You other slackers are going to spend some time getting to know each other," he added with a smile. A groan circulated amongst the group, but Kakashi started it off anyway. "Ino!!"

The platinum blonde gingerly made her way to the front of the group and sat down next to Kakashi. "There are two papers," he explained. "One is Sakura's, the other is someon else's. Are you ready?" He waited for an okay. "Favorite color: pink. Best friend: Uchiha Sasuke. Grade ninth. Best feature: eyes. The other person-- pink, Uchiha Sasuke, ninth, and cheeks. Which one is Sakura?"

"But!! That's so hard!!" the blonde girl complained.

"Sorry..."

"Uhm... Is it the one with the eyes??"

"Good job, Miss Yamanaka," Kakashi applauded. "Take your seat and send your friend up."

"Sakura... Yours are-- Blue, Uchiha Sasuke, and figure. Or is it purple, Uchiha Sasuke, and hands."

"Uhm... well, her figure is crap, and she does wear purple... Is it the second one??"

"Not at all," Kakashi said sympathetically. "So much for being the best of buds." He tired to ignore the chatty areguement that insued when Sakura passed Ino after saying she didn't have the perfect figure.

"Aburame?" the silver-haired man called. "You're next."

"Crap..." Shino groaned. "Wish me luck..."

"Good luck!!" Kiba cheered, thumping him on the back just a tad bit too enthusiastically.

"Shino," Kakashi crooned. "Your papers say: purple, myself, and favorite game-- FFVII??. Okay... or, green, the Great Gai, and pushups..."

"The second one," Shino sighed.

"YOOOOOOSH!!" a boy in a green hoodie cried from the audience. "Fantastic job roommate!! I congratulate you on your note-worthy abilities!!"

Shino sighed again, and Kakashi gave him an encouraging pat on the back.

"Naruto!! Bring your ass up here!!"

Naruto hopped up from his seat and Kiba gave him a thumbs up. "Good luck!!" he wished from his spot on the grass.

"Don't need it!!" Naruto reminded him, sticking his tongue out afterward. He bounded to the front of the group and sat on the ground next to Kakashi.

"Well," the psychology teacher began, "you seem confident... I guess I'll just read off the whole thing to you then."

"Shoot!!" Naruto dared him with one of his famous smiles.

"Alright. Your first one is as folllows. Fovorite color, red; best friend, the AM twins; favorite game, hangman; best aspect, compasssion."

"And the other one?" Naruto asked.

"Black, Uzumaki, Russion Roulette, and eyes."

"The first one's Sasuke," Naruto beamed. "I'm sure of it. He's the only one that knows about the twins, and he really is nice. Besides, he hates the color black," the blonde added with a roll of the eyes.

"Well... good job, Naruto," Kakashi said, slightly shocked. "I would have picked-"

"The other one?" the scarred teen opted. He leaned over to whisper. "That one's Gaara." Naruto hopped up and skipped back to his place nest to Kiba.

"Well... Uchiha?" Kakashi called from up front. "Care to try next?"

Sasuke sighed from Neji's lap and threw a hand over his face when his pale friend nudged him to get up. "Do I really have to?" he lagged.

Neji rolled his eyes. "Just go. You can come back right after."

"Fine." Sasuke lifted his head from the Hyuuga's thigh and made his way to Kakashi. When he reached him, he flopped into the grass, not even bothering to fix his wrinkled shirt.

"Vibrant enough shirt?" Kakashi asked.

"I like red," the young heir said under a soft yawn. "Alright, read."

"Yes sir," Kakashi chuckled. "Alright, your first one says: Orange, dad, truth or dare, and mood swings."

"And tthe other?"

"Orange, Kiba, BS, and huggability."

Sasuke yawned gracefully as he waved his hand. "Kiba must've gotten a second paper and was trying to be a smartass... The first one is the idiot. He loves that man way too much if you ask me..."

"Well," Kakashi said clearing his throat. "They both got it... but we just started. What should we do, Umino??"

"Give it to someone else," Sasuke said as he got up to join his cousin again. "He doesn't wasnt it. Besides, we've been asleep since we got here."

"Ooh!! He's so chivalrous, just like the paper said!!"

"Sasuke-kun is so humble!!"

"He's so nice!!"

Sasuke ignored the croons as he made his way to the back of the group again. He stopped halfway through and looked down at a certain blonde that was lying in his way. He kicked him gently so that he only startled him out of the way. Once Naruto moved, Sasuke continued to the back and took his previous spot on Neji's leg. Not-so-angelically sprawling himself out i nthe grass. After a few more people had gone, he heard Neji's name called and sat up so that he could go. He frowned at the loss of comfort and began to survey the crowd, scouting for a certain someone. He was slightly distraught when he came up short.

"Why the pout?" someone drawled in his ear.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and let himself fall backward so that he had his head resting against the blonde's stomach. "I missed you."

"Well, you're stuck with me for a week!!" the blonde assured him.

"That's someting I'm willing to endure."

--


	38. First Night

Oh Em Gee... no 0o _Memories and Lies_ isn't over!!

it's not over until there's a chapter entitled 'epilogue' really!! _Confusion and Deceit_ hasn't even been started yet.. it's got like a page on it... that's it lol  
But yeah anyway-- Brooklyn's back.. aren't we all happy?? :D lol  
yeah-- there's your story cuz i know u dont care about ME XD

fore-warning: my first attempt

* * *

"I can't belive some shit like this actually happened..." Sasuke sighed as he sulked down the hall to the small nature trail outside. They'd been at the resort for three days, and he was already hating it. He stopped when he heard something bump in the room that he passed. The sound and giggles that followed were unmistakable. He'd only experienced it once, but the raven was pretty sure he knew what sex sounded like. As he continued his walk, he pondered the first night they'd arrived at the resort...

"God... that was exhausting," the blonde huffed. He peeled his sweat-soaked shirt off and threw it to the floor, flopping onto his bed as he roommate walked in.

The raven scoffed and kicked his dangling foot as he went by. "Slob," he sneered and he removed his own shirt. He, on the other hand, dumped it into the laundry bin that had been left in the room. A lot less dirty than his friend, the pristine heir simply sat on his bed. "You're gonna make the sheets filthy like that, idiot."

"I'll just sleep with you then," Naruto mumbled.

Sasuke threw a shoe with him. "Don't even joke like that..."

"What??" the younger freshman whined. "That's total bull!! Since when can I not??"

"Since the bed is this big," Sasuke said, patting it with his hands.

Naruto groaned and rolled over so that he was staring at the ceiling. "You're so mean to me..."

"Tch, I am not." The Uchiha stretched out to lay on his bed and said, "Get in the shower, Uzumaki. You smell awful..."

"Heh?!"

"I know you heard me," Sasuke sighed. "Just do it, please. It's like... you've hit puberty for the second time. Invest in a stronger deoderant."

"Whatever..." the blonde grumbled. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants and some clean boxers before retreating to the bathroom.

Almost immediately after the water had started, Sasuke heard someone at their door. He went to open it, and there stood Kiba, Kankurou, Choiji, and Shikamaru.

"Yo!!" the red-painted boy greeted.

Sasuke propped himself up on the doorframe and cocked his head to the side. "You are taking that shit off while we're here, aren't you?" he asked. "It looks horrible without the uniform, you know."

"Oh yeah," Kiba assured him. "I'll take it off as soon as you take that stick from up your ass."

Sasuke just rolled his eyes. "What do you all want??" he asked in something akin to a playful mood.

"Come on, asswipe, let us in!!" Kiba whined. "We just wanna hang out is all!!"

"...You are aware that Naruto is in the shower, correct??"

"Yeah we know!!" Kiba scoffed, pushing passed the raven in the doorway. "We aren't deaf Uchiha," he added as he sat on the closest bed, Naruto's.

"I love how you just burst in here, Inuzuka," Sasuke said, moving out of the way so that the other students to join them in the room. He sat cross-legged on his bed, and Kankurou followed. Kiba frowned and joined them in his boyfriend's lap.

"You know," he started up again. "We actually came here to chill with you for a bit. That's why we waited until we could hear Porn-star in the shower."

"Hn..."

"C'mon!!" Kankurou urged, thumping Sasuke on the back. "Show us a good time. We all know you're not that much of a prick."

"I dunno," Shikamaru joined in. "I've never really gotten into it with Uchiha... I'm not sure if he's really as good as you all say."

"The hell are you talking about??" Sasuke asked.

"We're talking about cards!!" Kiba cheered, reaching into his pants pocket to pull a deck out. "We taught you how to play poker, and Naruto was in your ear. So we don't really know if you're any good though."

"So?"

"So," Kiba went on, "if we go by your skill in ERS and Bullshit, you might be fairly decent. Shika here comes second only to Naruto, so he wanted to test it out."

Sasuke sighed. "That's all this is? A card game??"

"For now anyway," Chouji stated as he pulled open a bag of barbeque chips.

"Excuse me??"

"Ignore him!!" Kiba urged. "Will you play?? Come on!!"

Sasuke sighed again. He spared a look at the bathroom door and strained to hear if Naruto was really in the shower. Sure enough, he could hear the obnoxious blonde singing to himself. "Yeah, I'll play. I don't have the social tact to get out of this without it resulting in a fight anyway..."

"Fair enough!!" Kiba roared. He sat on the floor between the two beds and told everyone else to gather round. "You all brought money along, didn't you??"

-.-

With a towel covering his head of still damp hair, Naruto stepped out of the bathroom clad only in a pair of old, grey sweatpants. "Hey, bitch," he called as he pushed the door open. He wasn't expecting what he saw in the leasat bit though.

"Just a minute, turd," the raven said with the wave of his hand. "I'm about to get Nara to strip."

"Oh, big talk for someone in your position, Uchiha," a certain earring-ed boy scoffed. He tapped his cigarette in the ashtray that was sitting on the nightstand beside him. Sticking the butt back in his mouth, he pulled a drag and blew it at the older teen in front of him. "You're down to your undies too, you know..."

Sasuke fanned away the smoke from his face and sent a sneer at the cocky boy sitting across from him. "True, but everyone in this room wants to see me naked, you know. There's no way in hell that I'm giving all of them that satisfaction. Besides, I've been coached by the best."

Shikamaru shook his head. "Tch! Whatever..." A few ashes fell onto the carpet beneath him.

"You know," Sasuke started, "smoking is a horrible habit... If you promise to quit, I won't make you go through with this bet..."

"What do you know about smoking, pretty boy??"

Sasuke leaned back against his bed and rested his arms on the edge, effectively draping them over a very happy Sakura and Ino. "Seriously? Quite a bit, Nara." Keeping his hand hidden, he fanned a few more whisps of smoke away from Sakura's face. "I only quit because my bunny asked me to."

"I've got a deal for you, Uchiha..." Shikamaru stated after a moment of thought.

"What's that??" Sasuke asked leaning forward again.

"Instead of stripping, you tell us who this 'bunny' of yours is??"

"Ooh... Is that so? Hm..." Sasuke placed his cards in his lap and looked around the room for a bit of thought. His face lit up when his gaze landed on Naruto. "Foxy!! You're out already??"

Naruto took one look around the room then and saw just who was there. Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, and Kankurou. Naruto could understand them being there, but the other people he saw was what got him. "..Sakura and Ino are in my room... So are Neji, Gaara, and Lee... and a bunch of other people that hate my roommate... Did you get him drunk or what you assholes??"

"C'mon, Uzumaki!!" a boy by the door called. "We're just having fun--"

"Bullshit!!" the blonde barked.

Sasuke snapped to attention out of his lolly state and surveyed himself. Clad only is his boxers, seated between his two most determined suitors. He thought it best just to listen to what Naruto had to say.

"You!!" the petite teen bellowed, pointing at the boy who had addressed him. "You've got a rep for gay bashing!! You shouldn't even fucking be in here!! Get the hell out!!"

"...Why does that matter??"

"Oh, did you not hear?? If you didn't, you obviously aren't a friend of Sasuke's since you need to go through me first to get to him nowadays!! Leave and take your asshole friends with you!!" About five kids left.

"Foxy," Sasuke called from his spot. "Chill out... I'm not drunk. I don't drink."

"Doesn't change the fact that they shouldn't be in here!!" Naruto cried. He pulled his towel down so that it rested over the back of his neck. "Narrow-minded people-- I hate all of 'em!!"

Sasuke sighed and shooed the girls at his side away. With a beckon of the hand, he said, "C'mere..."

"Fuck no."

Sasuke furrowed his brow and frowned. "Just come here, Ru..."

The whiskered teen huffed in defeat and made his way over to stare down at the raven seated on the floor. "What the hell do you want? Letting trash like that sit on my bed... I should kick your ass!!"

"Ha!! Yeah right!!" Ino jeered.

"Out," Sasuke said cooly. "Take Sakura with you..."

"Hmph!!" Ino sneered at the remaining people in the room and left with her pink rival. Once they were gone, Sasuke gave his attention to Naruto.

"Alright, blondie... Since you cleared out everone else that doesn't matter in your rage, can we talk now??"

Naruto looked around the room slowly to make sure Sasuke was right. The Kiba, Kankurou, Shikamaru, Chouji, Gaara, Neji, and Lee were left. The tiny teen stomped over to the door, shut it, and made sure it was locked. Turning back to Sasuke, he gave a curt, "What."

Sasuke sighed again. "We were just playing cards, Ru. Word got out that it was strip poker involving the Uchiha, and a few girls came. Some guys saw them pouring in and just followed. Honestly, we weren't about to start an orgy or anything like that. Really."

"Yeah?? That's fantasic, Uchiha, but you very well could have told me that you planned on having people over, you know..."

"Easy, Porn-star," Kiba cut in. "It was my fault. Drop all responsibility on my head. I kinda forced him into it." Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but Kiba beat him to it. "I know Sasuke's no push-over, but he didn't want to start a fight or anything."

"Look," the heir started up again. "I didn't think you'd get that upset about it, really. Let me finish out my game, and everyone can leave if you want."

Naruto tried to hold up his act for a bit longer, but Sasuke's sudden understanding made it crumble. He sighed and went to sit next to Gaara on his bed. "They don't have to leave. You're making friends for once instead of threatening mine. That's good."

"Ha!!" Kiba laughed. "Yeah-fucking-right!! He was ready to kick all our asses when we first showed up!!"

Sasuke threw something that looked like a tiny box at the giggling idiot.

"Those were mine," Shikamaru whined. "They're all probably broken now..."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and picked his cards up. "I'll give you a pack before you leave. Promise."

"Yeah..." Shikamaru sat up again and sent a meaningful glare at Sasuke. "So are the stakes raised??"

"I dunno..." Sasuke shot Naruto a look. "Do you mind if I strip??"

"Hell yeah."

"Alright. I guess I have to tell you guys who my bunny is," Sasuke sighed. "I'll show you a picture even."

"Oh?" Shikamaru teased. "What's this?? Not feeling so cocky now??"

"It's not that," Sasuke explained. "But I fold."

"Smart choice!!" Shikamaru pressed. He flipped his cards to showcase his straight flush.

"No," Sasuke corrected, "I beat you." He displayed his royal flush to a clearly miffed Nara. "I just wanted to finally tell some people so I could drop the front every now and then. Besides, that moron over there wants me to start making friends. I guess it wouldn't kill me to start off with his, right?"

"That is a good move on your part," Chouji congratulated him, "but now you've got to tell us who your secret lover is. She must be a real looker."

Sasuke ignored him and walked over to the other side of his bed to rummage around in his suitcase. When he found his wallet, he flopped onto his stomach, dangling his arms off of the edge of the bed. "You're wrong... she's no looker."

"And she still landed you?" Shikamaru asked, amazed. "Bunny must have one hell of a personality..."

"Oh, I'll give that-- great personality indeed," Sasuke agreed as he opened his wallet. He crammed his fingers into a slot inside, but couldn't pull out the small stack of photos he had in there. "Dammit... Ru, come help me?"

Naruto, who hadn't been paying attention except when Sasuke asked if he would mind if he suddenly got naked, gingerly picked himself up from Gaara's side and collapsed on his ass next to Sasuke. "What?"

"Get these out for me?"

Naruto took the wallet and looked at the first picture. It was of Sasuke and Itachi from the time the younger of the two broke his arm. "What the hell for??"

"Just do it??" Sasuke asked, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah..." Naruto pulled out the tiny pile and handed it to Sasuke, tossing him his wallet as well.

"Alright, Uchiha," Shikamaru chanted. "Let's see this bunny of yours..."

Sasuke sifted through his pictures until he found one suitable enough for his presentation. He gave a wicked smirk to the blonde before flinging the picture to the still smoking boy a few feet away. He watched for a second, waiting for a reaction, but he was slightly upset when he didn't get one.

Chouji leaned over to look, and turned red. He started hacking on the chip that had gotten caught in his throat before Gaara helped him cough it out. "What the hell is that?!" the larger boy cried.

"...This is a joke... right??" Shikamaru finally asked. "You can't be serious..."

"What're they so worked up about??" Naruto asked the young raven next to him with a slight shove. Sasuke grabbed his hand at the wrist and tolled over, effectively pulling the blonde down with him.

"What the hell??" the whiskered teen whined.

"Very serious you two."

"Sasuke... what the hell is in the picture that you showed them??" Naruto asked warily.

"Not much," Sasuke offered up with a glint in his eye.

"Uchiha," Naruto warned, "I swear to every deity there is that if you don't tell me right now--"

"Hey Nara?" Sasuke called. "Give it back??"

"Gladly." Shikamaru sent it zinging back the same way Sasuke had thrown it at him.

"Sasuke... what is that a picture of??"

"I told you..." Sasuke flipped the tiny photo over in his fingers and shoed it to his tiny lover. "Not much, don't you agree??"

"..." Naruto stared, shock-ridden at the image before him. He grabbed it and stared at it long and hard to make sure it was real. Sure enough, it wasn't going away. He turned on Sasuke, slammed his hand down on the older teen's chest and shoved the picture in his face. "When the HELL did you take this?!"

"Mm... The... second time you stayed at my place, maybe??" Sasuke seemed to actually go into thought about that one. "I think it was my place... Yeah. Your house is too cold at night to kick off the blankets," he added.

"Sasuke!!" Naruto shouted. "I told you not to tell anyone about this!! What is wrong with you?!"

Sasuke just shrugged. "You said not to ruin myself. I haven't. They're your friends, aren't they? Besides, I want someone to know other than that loudmouth dog and our cousins..."

"Gaara, Neji, and Kiba were enough, Sasuke!!" Naruto stressed. "I don't want people to know so that nothing happens to you!! That's all!!"

"Well, they do now," Sasuke said with a fake smile. "Really, it shouldn't bother you this much."

Naruto sighed before he managed to pull himself up off of his treacherous lover. "Why do you have a picture like that??"

"I get off by it," the ashen heir said with a shrug as he sat up. As soon as he was at his full height, however, Naruto gave him a nice fist to the face.

"Don't say things like that!!" Naruto all but shouted.

"What's so bad about it??" Kiba asked, picking up the discarded picture. Looking at it brought a slight blush even to his face. Naruto was laying in what one could guess was Sasuke's bed, sleeping. Besides that, he was naked save for a pair of boxers that were just a little too big for him. The blanket that had fallen away allowed them to show off the curve of his hips and the dip under his navel. He looked a bit flustered, which probably explained why the blanket was kicked off, and the small amount of sweat that he had gave off a sheen in the dim moonlight. Apparently, Sasuke had a knack for photography just like his brother.

"Sasuke!!" Kiba cheered. "I didn't know you were a pervert!! Good job on this one man!!"

"Kiba!" Naruto whined, momentarily pausing in his assault to the Uchiha. "You're praising him?!"

"Hell yeah!!" the painted teen cheered. "I wish I could get a picture like this!!"

"Photography's in my blood," the raven heir scoffed. "Truly."

"Put all of that on hold, please," Lee interrupted. "What is this mysterious picture that is floating around?"

"Catch," Kiba called as he flung it his way.

Lee caught the tiny wallet size and studied it for a moment. Lee knowing the secret was either a make or break. Either the entire school and city knew, or he defended the secret with his life...

"AWW!!" he erupted in a blaze of heavy emotion. "Why was I not let in on this precious secret?! Do you not want everyone to know of your manly love for each other?! A bond as deep as this is the epitome of youth!! We must spread the word!!"

"No," Sasuke said slowly. "We mustn't. That's why it was a secret, Lee."

"So... you do not want others to know of this?"

Sasuke and Naruto both shook their heads, so Lee lapsed into thought on the precious matter. After a while, he erupted again. "OSSU!! Alright!! No one shall know of this, for I, Rock Lee, will protect this secret with my very life!!"

"Well that's... reassuring," Naruto offered after the awkward silence that followed Lee's grand declaration.

"Hey," Sasuke called out to the group. "I'm gonna get in the shower so... not to be rude and all... but could you leave?"

Kiba huffed and rolled his eyes as he got to a standing position and helped his boyfriend up as well. "Whatever, Uchiha. We all know you just want a chance to screw Porn Star over there."

Sasuke rolled his eyes right back. "Believe what you want, heathen, but we haven't even done anything close to that."

"Fine, fine," Kiba went on. "We'll leave. I have stuff to do anyway. C'mon, 'Kank!!" The feral boy grabbed him by the hand and dragged him out of the room while everyone else followed. On his way out, Shikamaru made sure that the door was shut all the way.

"Alright, Ru," Sasuke beckoned, "let me up. I really do want to get in the shower."

"What??" the blonde whined. "You're already pretty much naked. Does it really matter?"

"Yes," Sasuke grunted. "I've been having smoke blown around me for the longest. Now let me go get in the shower?"

"No way," the whiskered teen pouted. "I've only done bullshit with you all day. Can't you skip the shower? Just once? I don't think It'll really kill you that much."

"Then you really don't know me," Sasuke retorted. Fed up, he pushed the smaller boy away and made his way to the bathroom. "I'm sorry, but really, I do need to bathe. I had those two God-awful girls hanging on me as well you know."

"Yeah, whatever," Naruto sighed, flopping down on Sasuke's bed. When he heard the door shut, he got comfortable and felt himself start to doze off a bit. He'd only been able to nap a little after they'd gotten there, and the shower he took made him sleepy anyway. It was still a bit early, but no one was in their rooms, so he wasn't going to be bothered. Naruto couldn't help but fall asleep in the perfect setting of the room and on that perfect bed.

-.-

While Sasuke was in the shower, he decided that he was staying in for the rest of the night. There was nothing else that was actually mandatory for him to attend, so it didn't matter if he spent the rest of the day relaxing rather than mingling. Besides, Naruto had been right in what he said about them only not really doing much together other than what Kakashi wanted. That really didn't count much as quality time. With a sigh, he turned off the shower. He reached for his towel and swore when he realized that he didn't have any clothes to go along with it. He quickly towled off his body a bit and wrapped the terrycloth around his waist.

Sasuke stepped out into the chilly room and was hit with an instant wave of goosebumps. He'd forgotten that Naruto was so used to the cold that he dind't know when to turn it off. Trying to warm up his arms a bit, the raven made his way to the thermastat by Naruto's bed and fiddled with it until he could find the heat setting. He finally found it, and a sigh escaped him when he heard the air components switch over.

Now that it was warming up, and he was sure the door was shut, he undid the towel and proceeded to actually dry his body correctly. When he was finished, he wrapped the towel all the way around again, and waltzed over to his suitcase. It only took him a short while to find a clean pair of boxers. Sasuke dropped his towel one last time, and he stepped into his drawers. He'd finally broken down and gotten a few cotton pairs after staying over with Naruto a few times. Silk just wasn't cutting it anymore when he needed warmth.

Finally ready to wind down, Sasuke knelt onto his bed. It gave way to his weight a bit, but it was just enough to send him reeling forward. A squeak of discomfort from a lump on the bed met his ears after his forehead collided with the wall.

"God, Sasuke," Naruto slurred. "Be careful why don'tcha..."

Sasuke sighed as he sat on his knees and nursed the growing knot on his head. That was just great. "Naruto, go get in your own bed, please? I told you these ones are way too small to share."

Naruto rolled over and supported his upper half on his elbows. "You said I could sleep here though," he whined. "Remember?? That ass and his friends were on my bed... You can just sleep over there..."

Sasuke let out a huff of irritation before retreating. If he'd decided to take it any further, they would have had an arguement, Naruto would have won, and Sasuke would have done it anyway. There was no point in wasting what little energy he had. Falling gracelessly onto the bed, Sasuke started to breathe a bit evenly. That was when it hit him. The horrid stench of smoke and barbegue invaded his nose and stung his eyes a little. Shikamaru and Chouji had been on the bed far too long, and cigarettes had been around it longer than that. Sitting up, a woeful sigh escaped him raggedly.

Seeing how he wasn't going to be doing much sleeping anytime soon, he decided that he'd get Shikamaru that pack he'd promised. Once again, Sasuke made the trek to his suitcase and flipped it open. He dug around for a bit until, near the bottom, he felt the tiny carton and pulled it out. After an inspection, he noticed that only two were missing. With a shrug, he pulled out two more and dropped them in the drawer of the bedside table.

Since he was only going down the hall, he figured that he'd just leave the door open. He wasn't sure of where it was exactly that he left his key either. So, clad only in his blue Scooby-Doo boxers and necklace with a pack of cigarettes in his hand, he leisurely made his way to Shikamaru and Chouji's room. Of course, he knew about the people that were watching him, but he didn't care much. They were just trying to catch a look before he disappeared. Since his hair was till wet, and soaking his boxers and all...

When he made it to the room, he knocked twice and stood there. He knocked again, but he didn't get an answer. He heard someone tell him to hold on though. So, Sasuke sat against the opposite wall with his arms resting on his knees. After about thirty seconds, he got bored and pulled out one of the matches that he always kept tucked away in his cigarettes, just in case he forgot his lighter ever. He was just about to free one of the instant delights from the carton as well, but the door opened.

"Uchiha?" Shikarmaru called when he saw the slightly disheveled class president sitting on the far wall. "What's up?"

Sasuke held out the tiny box in his hand and slowly shook it back and forth. "These are for you."

"Come inside," the Nara boy called as he retreated into the room. "You look normal, and it scares the shit outta me."

"How nice," Sasuke drawled as he got to his feet. Regardless, he followed Shikarmaru into the room. "Where do you want me to put these??"

"On my bed is fine," Shikamaru called from the bathroom.

There were two beds in the room, and Sasuke considered them both. One was on the prim and proper half of the room, and the other was on the half that shouted Armageddon. He tossed them to that side. Shikamaru was too lazy to clean up anything he got out of his suitcase, so it made sense. "Why'd I have to come inside?" the heir asked as he sat on the opposite bed.

"'Cause I wanted to ask you something," Shikamaru said as he reemerged. He seemed to be dressed like he was going somewhere special.

"What is it?" the raven asked cautiously.

"All the girls hit on you, so I was wondering if... well... does Temari?"

"...Subakuno? _Gaara's_ sister?" Sasuke confirmed. "That shrew?? Of course not! I'd kill her if she tried..."

"Cool," Shikamaru said with a sigh of relief. "I was starting to think that I'd have to live up to the Uchiha name..."

"Are you going on a date?" Sasuke asked with honest curiousity.

Shikamaru flushed before turning to the mirror along the top of the big dresser to check his hair. "Yeah... Why? You got advice for me??"

"Fuck no," Sasuke admitted. "I've never been on a schedualed date before. Everything I do is impromptu."

"Really?"

"Yeah. If I go out with Ru, it's just because we get bored at the house. When I used to go out with other people, it was just because we wanted to get away from a boring business dinner ot something like that. My brother used to just pull me from lessons with bullshit excuses." Sasuke scoffed and wiped a bit of water from his neck. "Very impromptu."

"No advice then??"

"Well... I figure Naruto's enough like a girt, right?? So... try to get her to talk about herself a bit, yeah?"

"You say it like I plan on talking," the Nara boy scoffed only to get a shrug in return. "Well, not to be rude but, I'm heading out. I'd let you stay, but Chouji might not be too happy when he sees that his bed's been soaked through."

"Understandable," Sasuke replied with a curt nod. "I'm going to sleep as soon as I get back. I'll see you tomorrow," he added as they walked out.

"Later," Shikamaru called as he tossed a salute over his shoulder.

Sasuke started the short walk back to his room witha slightly quicker pace than as when he left. Having left the door open, he was a bit worried. Naruto was there, of course, but he wasn't exactly a light sleeper. Upon returning, Sasuke noted that nothing had been touched, and all was well-- save for the tiny note that he found on the mirror in the room. He took it off and went over it quickly before tossing it in the wastebin. It had said:

_Leave Uzumaki be or have the higher-ups notified._

As if... It wasn't like they could do anything. He and Naruto hadn't done anything in regards to sex. And they didn't openly display their relationship either. Apparently, there was a jealous bystander that had a thing for the tiny blonde. No one knew about them dating besides the people he had over before his shower anyway.

Sasuke flopped onto Naruto's bed and tried to relax again, only to be horrifed once more. The smell hadn't left. The bed still reeked of a barbeque-eating nicotine addict. Sasuke sat up and heaved a sigh of distress. He just wanted to sleep, dammit, and he couldn't sleep in that bed. Or his since he wasn't fitting with Naruto on it too.

An irritated scowl drew itself upon his face as he sent a glare at said area. His heart leapt however, and he sent his gaze zinging towrd the bathroom. Naruto was still washing his hands. Quick so that he wasn't caught, Sasuke abandoned the bed that he was currently on and sped to the vancant one across the room. He snuggled down into the warm, clean sheets that smelled of cinnamon and lavender. Inhaling, he closed his eyes and practically melted into the mattress. He was sure that his blonde friend would just retreat to the other side of the room when he came back out, so he didnt bother to move at all when he heard the bathroom door open up again. However, he wasn't expecting what did happen.

"... Sasuke," Naruto deadpanned as he stood over the lump that had taken over his spot.

Sasuke just groaned in response.

"Sasuke, the bed's too small to lay next to you," the blonde pointed out around a yawn. "Move."

The young raven just settled in the blankets more.

Naruto let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "You're getting everything wet, Uchiha."

"Hmph."

"Sasuke... get up."

"No."

"Tch! Fine then..." Naruto pulled the covers back from the heir, exposing him to the elements again, and rolled him over onto his back. The tiny space that was made was still too small, even for someone as petite as Naruto was. He sighed again and proceeded to climb into the bed anyway. While he did so, he rolled Sasuke over one more time so that he was on his side facing the wall. Naruto was tucked in neatly behind him, just making it on the mattress.

Sasuke let out an irritated huff at the new position he was expected to sleep in. With almost no force at all, he nudged Naruto a bit, and that sent him crashing to the floor. The blonde whined in what could be considered a crying tone, so Sasuke leaned over the side of the bed an offered a hand up. Gingerly, with a scowl in place, the whiskered teen accepted and let Sasuke pull him to his feet. When Naruto was standing again, Sasuke pulled the smaller freshman back to the bed. However, he was actually smart about it. Sasuke had scooted to the middle of the bed again, and he had managed to lay the tiny teen with his top half on Sasuke's torso, and his legs on the bed by the wall.

"Hm... good job," Naruto mumbled into the pale chest below him.

"Thanks," Sasuke grumbled back. "I like to think that my improv has improved being with you all the time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto said with a pout as he held himself up over Sasuke with his arms.

Sasuke raised a brow at the heated unexpected reaction. "It doesn't mean anything... I'm just good at being evasive now?"

"Plopping me on your chest doesn't sound very evasive, Mr. Uchiha," Naruto teased, swirling his finders along Sasuke's side for emphasis.

Sasuke sighed, and a faint blush tinged his cheeks. "Why do you do this to me?? I really just want to sleep. The one time I don't feel like I have to ravish you, you start trying to get me hard. You're a real ass, you know that??"

"I've been told so," the blonde confirmed, trying to re-situate himself. Sasuke caught on real quick and grabbed him though. "What?"

"There's no way in hell you're moving, Uzumaki." Sasuke pulled the tiny freshman back down to his original seat to stress his point. "If you want to sleep in this bed, you're gonna stay right there. You're not bothering me, Naruto."

"Pfft... you say that now," Naruto grumbled. "Any other tine, oh sure, you'd be thrilled. Now that I don't mind, you reject me."

"You're very right," Sasuke assured him. "You and I don't have a sexual relationship, and I don't have the energy to make out right now."

Naruto pondered that for a second, drumming his fingers on Sasuke's chest as he thought. It was true that they didn't do anything too sexual besides the little show they put on for Orochimaru. But he was quite sure that didn't count. _His brian registered that Sasuke'd started to loosen his hold._ And, if they were just going to make out, you did need two willing participants. It also didn't help that Sasuke appeared to be tired._ Naruto's brain picked up that Sasuke's arm had slid down from its place on his shoulder and was resting leisurely at the dip in his back._ And, even if he wanted to stab his horniness in the head right then, if was considered rude to jump people in their sleep-- especially if they didn't exactly want you to...

"How about... if you didn't have to do anything??" the whiskered teen suggested, getting back to his hovering position.

He got a groan in response, and Sasuke turned his face away from the pleading one above him.

"Please?" Naruto crooned. "It's your own damn fault I'm like this, you know," he added before leaning the small bit needed to drop a light kiss on Sasuke's neck.

"How's it my fault?" Sasuke sighed miserably.

"You're tired... wet... and practically naked," the tanned boy explained, leaving kisses in between each phrase. "Besides," he added as he slid one leg to Sasuke's other side and sat up to straddle him, "I'm tired of getting all shy when you come in the room..."

"...The hell does that mean?" Sasuke asked, sending a confused look at his boyfriend.

Naruto sighed and leaned down carful not to press his body against the one under him too much. He fisted Sasuke's hair at the sides of his head and got close enough to whisper. "I'm not a damn saint, Sasuke. There's this thing called sexual frustration, and I tend to suffer greatly."

"...How's that possible?" the raven asked, even more perplexed than before. "I don't do anything to you to start that..."

"True, but there are these things at night called dreams. Heard of 'em?"

Sasuke, deciding to just humor the blonde, nodded.

"Well, you very well can't control what you do in there, can you?" Naruto just took the hitch in breath he felt from Sasuke as his answer. "So, when I wake up, and I _try _to fix that myself, you tend to come in. That's an awkward thing to do when there's someone else that close, don't you think?"

Sasuke actually thought about that one. He stayed a good hundred feet away from his parents most of the time, so he couldn't even imagine trying to take care of himself with someone else in the next room. "I agree... but you know..."

"What?" Naruto coaxed, giving Saske a pulling kiss on the lips.

"I don't think I'd really be much help with that problem," the young heir admited. "Seriously. I'm shocked that I can even kiss you well enough."

Naruto rolled his eyes in the darkness. "I told you, you wouldn't have to do anything, 'Suke. I think I'm pretty good at things like this now."

"...People?"

Naruto sighed and made his way to Sasuke's ear, trailing kisses all the way. "Just ones that want a show. I told you, I haven't actually been whored out in a long time."

"We're bound to make noise," Sasuke tried to warn.

"It's their first night free of any rules other than the law and a curfew of midnight," Naruto explained. "No one's around," he added, using his teeth to take hold of the earlobe that had started to turn pink with Sasuke's increasing blush.

"Ru, I really don't think I can do this with you, period."

"I didn't say anything specific, Sasuke," Naruto said with a giggle in his voice. "Just let me mess with you a bit..."

Sasuke sighed in defeat. He wasn't going to win that fight if Naruto kept messing with him whilst trying to negotiate. It just wasn't a fair fight. "Fine..."

"Don't sound so thrilled," Naruto scoffed sardonically. Regardless he redirected his attention to a spot of Sasuke's neck that miraculously managed to stay dry. "Last I checked, you were a bit horny there yourself," the blonde teased, finally pressing down on Sasuke's body to prove his point.

"C-cut it out, Naruto!!"

"You're no fun," the smaller teen pouted, geetting back to his former position. "Really. I don't do stuff like this; you should take advantage."

He got a sigh for an answer.

"Okay, okay," Naruto moaned. "I won't do it." Instead, he took to slowly running his tongue along the length of Sasuke's lips. There was a slow intake of exagerated breath to greet him when he pushed down on the fair lips below him. After a bit of coaxing, Naruto was able to dip his skillful appendage into warm, wet folds of silken intensity. Once he started to pull at Sasuke's tongue with his in a lazy passion, the raven couldn't stand to act indifferent anymore. He placed his hands on the slender curve of Naruto's hips and used his own tongue to fight back for the dominance he'd lost.

"What happened to not doing anything?" Naruto jeered.

"Shut it," Sasuke bit back, grabbing onto the blonde's lip. "You never said I couldn't react."

"Mm... you're very right," the whiskered boy agreed. He shifted again, only to have it result in him catching the tip of Sasuke's growing excitement. The raven let out all of his breath in one swift exhale of pleasure. "Wow, you're sensitive..." Naruto teased.

"If you're going to make fun of me," Sasuke warned, "we can stop this right now."

"You're such a baby," the blonde said, moving to make Sasuke kiss him again. This time, however, he had no say whatsoever in what happened. Sasuke quickly took over and used that dominance to pull everything he could from Naruto's mouth. When they closed off, he could grab on the blonde's lower, rosy colored lip with his teeth and tease it. When Naruto's tongue found its way past Sasuke's defenses, the raven would suck a bit to keep it there and dance with his own in a fiery fervency. Kissing being the only thing he felt that he could actually do somewhat well, Sasuke used it to his advantage.

After a while he felt something that he wasn't very used to. Naruto was not supposed to rock. Sasuke turned his head to break there kiss and pushed the tiny freshman up a bit.

"Are you okay?" he asked warily.

Naruto just stared back at him dumbly. "What?" he asked, almost shocked. "Yes I'm okay. What's wrong?"

Sasuke blushed in the dark and pouted a bit. He knew it was going to happen, he just wasn't expecting it. Against his will, however, he said, "That's never happened is all..."

The blonde took a second to digest that. "Oh!" he said in realization. "Oh... Hah, didja get scared for a second?"

Sasuke sighed and dropped his arms so that one was hanging off the bed and the other was resting awkwardly on the wall. "I think we're done here."

"Like hell we are," Naruto said with a roll of the eyes. He leaned down a bit to claim his raven's mouth again. Just like before, he started to enjoy it a bit too much though, and he started rocking. Luckily, what with Sasuke being even less controlable in the situation, he was doing just ths same. Soon enough they were grinding together on the tiny bed, their breath mingling together as their air escaped them in gushes and spurts.

"Sasuke..."

"Hm?"

"Tonight?" the blonde whimperd.

Sasuke sat up, eyes wide, and held his lover at the hips. "...Wh-what??"

"Please, 'Suke?" Naruto pleaded. "I'm really serious."

"Ru..."

"You say you love me, but u don't tell me so," the whiskered teen mumbled. "So prove it..."

"That's a horrible tactic, Naruto," Sasuke said with a glare. "You know I feel like shit because of that already."

"Well, would you rather _I_ had your first time or some random fuck that comes in??"

Sasuke sighed and deftly pushed his lips to Naruto's. "I'm sorry," he said against them.

"Then do it..."

Sasuke sighed again and reached up to hold Naruto's tiny face in his hands. After a slow, passionate kiss, he said, "Fine."

"R...really?"

"Well I _would_," the obsidian-eyed teen said with a smirk, "but I think there's a tad too much clothing." He was quick to strip out of his own boxers, but Naruto was still a bit dazed, and it took him a bit longer.

"You're really... serious?" Naruto asked, a new blush taking over him in the dark room. They had made it back to their original position.

"As serious as you want me to be," Sasuke crooned, pulling the smaller freshman down by the shoulders so he could land a clean kiss on his lips. "Now, what do I need to do?"

Naruto had to swallow past the nerves that had jumped to his throat before asking his question. "Are you uh... allergic to latex??"

"The only thing I'm allergic to is women," Sasuke scoffed.

"Ha/ Ha." Naruto deadpanned as he got up. He shuffled to his suitcase and started rummaging around in the dark. He finally found what he was looking for and sent a grin over his shoulder. "Pick a color!!"

"Uhm... red?"

"M'kay!" Naruto pulled out a tiny box, removed something, and jumped back to the bed. Sitting on Sasuke again, he brandished his item with an evil grin. "Since I'm not allowed to see you naked, I _hope_ I got the right size."

"You're killing my buzz, Uzumaki..."

"Okay, okay..." Naruto giggled under his breath a bit as he though about his next question. "Do you know how to use one?"

"I'm inexperience, Naruto," Sasuke stressed, "but I'm not retarded..."

"There's a difference?"

"Just give it," Sasuke sighed, snatching the tiny red package from the blonde's hand. He tore it open and almost expertly slipped the rubber on. "See?"

"You are an ass if I ever met one," Naruto giggled, leaning down to kiss him agian.

"So... are we not using anything else??"

"No," Naruto grumbled. "I forget to pack anything like lotion. So we're just gonna have to rough it," he added with an impish grin.

"And you like the idea of that??"

"No," Naruto scoffed, running his hands up and down the Uchiha's sides. "I do like the idea of you setting it all up though." He could've sworn he actually felt Sasuke's temperature go down a bit under him. "Ya'okay?"

"Naruto, I don't know how to do any of that," Sasuke said, horrified. "I'm really going to hurt you..."

Naruto rolled his eyes and grabbed Sasuke's right arm, the one hanging off the bed. "I'll help you then," he said, guiding two of Sasuke's fingers to his mouth. He slowly and temptingly coated them before pulling them out and smirking down at a beet red, wide-eyed, Sasuke.

He couldn't help but giggle at it. "'You're so cute, 'Suke."

"Shut up..."

"Mkay now listen-- you have to get them in there."

"...What?" Sasuke asked staring up at him.

"Fingers, Sasuke," Naruto explained. "They need to make to my ass."

"R-right.." Sasuke stammered.

Naruto sighed when he realized that Sasuke didn't really ger it. Either that, or his brain had fizzled out. But-- that was why he was on top. He took hold of the brunette's hand again and guided it behind him. Sasuke finally caught on and put his hand down on a cheek when he felt it.

"In_side_, Sasuke," Naruto urged.

Sasuke swallowed again and gently pushed in one of his fingers. He would have pulled out when Naruto all but collapsed on him, but the blonde was still holding his wrist.

"Na... Naruto??"

"In and out, Sasuke," the blonde managed to grind out.

The raven just nodded and did as he was told. After a few seconds he noticed the faces that Naruto was making... and he liked them. So Sasuke tried to add another finger in with the first. He moaned aloud whtn sat up and gripped with all his might at Sasuke's shoulders as bit down on his lip to silent a scream. When he came back down, Sasuke enhanced his in and out with a bit of twist and stretch.

"St-stop..." Naruto panted from above him.

"Did it hurt?" Sasuke asked immediately after retracting his hand.

Naruto slowly shook his head as he repositioned himself so that he was on his knees down by Sasuke's legs. "No, but I'm going to _die_ if you're not in my right now_."_

"But--"

"You don't have to do _any_thing anymore, 'Suke." Naruto panted. After catching his breath a bit, he leaned down and deftly placed his mouth around his Uchiha. He came up and went back down a few times before just licking all over, making every muscle quiver in the older boy above him. When Naruto thought it was enough, he stopped and went back to his earlier seat.

"Please tell me you're ready for this," the blonde pleaded, kissing him repeatedly in various places on his neck.

Sasuke swallowed his nerves one more time before nodding. "Y-yeah..."

Right after getting his reassurance, Naruto grabbed hold of Sasuke's excitement and started to ease it inside of him. There was a bit of a stretch, but hot, sweet kisses from Sasuke distracted him enough so that it didn't hurt. Sasuke, even with his superior kisses, couldn't keep as much attention on it as he normally could. The tight heat he felt was too much for him. He was making noises by the time Naruto was fully seated.

"I'm thinking you might like this more than I do," the blonde giggled.

"First time."

"Bull," Naruto jeered. "Mine sucked. You just like it," he added with a smile.

"Well I'd like to enjoy mine," Sasuke nearly pleaded.

"Of course," the whiskered teen said, dropping one more kiss on his lover. He lifted himself by bracing his hands on Sasuke's chest and dropped. The gasp he got in response was enough for Naruto to completely block out his pain and do it agian. After trying a few angles, he even found a spot that worked for him. With the practise he had, Naruto was able to hit it every time, and Sasuke wasn't alone in his passionate breaths.

"Na-ahh... Na... ruto..." Sasuke grabbed ahold of the blonde's hips as tight as he could and started pulling him down harder so that he could arch up into him.

A howl managed to tear itself from Naruto's throat when Sasuke started to get a bit more involved. He clawed at Sasuke's shoulders and bit his lip again to keep himself from making too much noise-- regardless of who was there. It didn't matter if it was the first or the tenth time he'd done it. It was Sasuke he was doing it with, and just the thought of that-- the thought of bringing out so much emotion from such a stoic boy-- was enough to bring him close to the edge.

"Sasuke..." he called out in the last seconds he could control his voice. He pressed himself as close to the body under him as he could and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's back.

"Yeah?"

"Sasuke... I love you. I really do." Naruto didn't offer a chance for him to say it back. A few seconds later he was calling out his name again in a burst of pleasure that wracked through his entire body. Naruto let everything out, and a sticky layer of love held them together on the bed. Feeling every part of his lover at that moment was all Sasuke needed to let everything loose. After all the want, and after all the teasing wait, he finally exploaded intide of Naruto with everything he was made of, screaming his name into the blonde mane of hair before him. He was sture that if he didn't have a condom on, he might have hurt him worse than he ever did in the past.

"Sasuke?" Naruto called after he didn't get a resonse to his earlier statement. "Sasuke..."

A sigh escaped him wihen he noticed that the older freshman was already asleep. Giving up, Naruto decided to just follow suit.

* * *

SAFE IS SEXY!! :D


	39. Hey buddy

First off, allow me to apologize for being sooo long =\

I don't have an excuse this time, and you can thank my friend Gwen for me even getting this up here.  
Sorry it's such a short chapter XP  
But yeah, you should enjoy it anyway. It's setting up for the end. I predict that to be around... chapter 45 maybe.  
Don't hold me to it though!! When a title says, 'epilogue' that's it until I start posting Confusion and Deceit.

anyway, have fun reading that. And please, I won't tell you why it seems like Gaara has deviated from the  
'split them up' plan, so don't ask. I'll only tell you 'there's a reason'. alright? Good =)

Go read your story, yeah?

* * *

After remembering his affair that first night, Sasuke couldn't help but swear at the miserable fuck that put him in his current situation. He'd spent the last three days doing whatever he could to avoid Naruto because of this douche. And, based on the looks he got from said blonde in the cafeteria, Sasuke was sure that the little man wasn't very happy about it. Still sulking, Sasuke took a seat with some of the council members and angrily picked at the sandwich in front of him.

"God..." Naruto muttered from his seat across the room. He'd given his chair to a girl who had been distraught to find one, and as a result was sourly sitting in Gaara's lap. He slouched forward a bit and almost knocked Kiba's soup off the table.

"What's wrong now??" the fur covered boy asked. He'd managed to sneak his dog in through his luggage and was keeping Akamaru in the room. Of course, everything was covered in dog hair.

"That sorry shit's acting like he's miserable," the blonde grumbled. "I'm the one getting snubbed left and right."

Gaara sighed into his hand, agitated. "Naruto, you know he's an ass."

"He's never been so awful before though!!"" the blonde exclaimed.

"Well what the hell did you do?" Kiba asked. "We've only been here for three days. It started yesterday, right??"

"And I don't see why the hell that is!!" the tiny freshman whined. He buried his face in his arms and groaned. "I didn't do anything..."

"Well, I'unno what to tell ya, Porn star," Kiba said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "Really, I wish I could help, but Uchiha and I don't see eye to eye."

"Thanks, Kiba," muffled its way up to their ears. "Maybe my heartache will kill me off soon, and you guys won't have to deal with me."

Gaara sighed one more time before violently standing from his seat. Sheer terror plastered itself onto Naruto's face as his stomach flew up into his throat. He was going to hit the table, face first, but Gaara caught him around the waist and threw him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"Wh-what the hell?!" Naruto shrieked, pounding a bit on the redhead's back. A blush had already consumed his face entirely. Still beet red, the assaulted blonde looked back at the table where he had previously been sitting.

He went through about seven more shades of red when he saw that he'd managed to effectively tip Kiba's soup all the way over. It had landed in the feral boy's lap, and he jumped up. Since the action startled Kankurou who had been sitting next to him, the older teen spilled his soda all over Kiba's shirt. The poor Inuzuka was standing, sicky and wet, in his boxers.

"I'm sorry, Kiba!!" Naruto shouted, hand outstretched in the only thing he could manage to resemble an apologetic gesture. Kiba just waved a hand at him. He didn't mind it. He just started to leave the other way toward the rooms to change, Kankurou following close behind-- steadily apologizing for the spill he'd made.

"Look what you made me do!!" Naruto pouted. He paused to send Sasuke's pitiful countenance a glare as they passed. "You almost gave me a heart attack. And you made me spill crap all over Kiba!!"

"He needs a bath anyway," was Gaara's deadpan reply.

Naruto took his tone as a cue to shut up, but after thirty seconds of walking and arriving nowhere, he decided that he'd like to know where he was headed. He twitched a bit to make sure it was okay. All he got was Gaara's haggard sigh in return.

"...Gaara?"

"Hm?"

"Where are we going?" the blonde asked. They weren't suited for the pool-- no swimsuits. They just left the cafeteria. There was no way he was going to relaz at all, so that eliminated the sauna or yoga. "Seriously, where?"

"Gym," was Gaara's curt reply. "I need to work off stress, and you need Uchiha out of your eyesight. Plain and simple."

"Oh..." Naruto thought about that for a second before something occurred to him.

"What am I supposed to do in the gym??"

"Vent."

"Got'cha..." That sounded like a good enough idea. Gaara could do his bench presses, and Naruto could bitch to him. He didn't really have much to bitch about since Sasuke had only been ignoring him for two days... but still. It was something.

After they made it to the gym, Gaara slid Naruto to the floor so that he could work his shirt off. Once he'd rid himself of the item, the positioned himself on the bench and told Naruto simply to spot.

"...Is that safe with me??" the whiskered teen asked, a bit more than unsure of his strength.

"You're the one person I'd trust with my life," Gaara replied.

Naruto heaved a sigh and agreed. He stood over Gaara and placed his hands on the metal bar. He held his breath as Gaara lifted it and the weights from the rest. He let it out when he realized that it wasn't even heavy. That was probably due to the fact that, though compact, Subakuno did have his muscle mass.

"So," the redhead began, "tell me about Uchiha."

"He's ignoring me."

"The whole story," Gaara sighed. "He's ignored you before, and you were ready to break up with his ass. So tell me why it is that this time you're only pissed about it."

Naruto scowled sourly as a blush speckled its way across his cheeks. Averting his gaze, he decided that, if he could trust anyone, it was his club friend.

"We did the deed that first night."

Shockingly, Gaara hadn't faltered. He was silent for a while, but that was given up after about ten seconds. "And he won't talk t o you now?? Are you really that out of practise?"

"Ass," Naruto declared, a smile on his lips nonetheless. "And, if you ask me, I think I did rather well thanks."

"I'm sure," Gaara said sardonically. "Still, what happened then? I would imagine that he'd want to be next to you every waking minute after that."

Naruto just shrugged. "Nothing. He fell asleep right after I said 'I love you.' I dunno what the problem was..."

"Right..." The redhead sighed again.

He was always sighing, as Naruto finally noticed. He didn't know why that was, but it kind of seemed like some sort of internal conflict. What had birthed it was a mystery, as was almost everything else about the older teen. The only problem was, Naruto usually knew what was going on.

"Why are you so depressed?" he decided to venture out and ask.

"I'm not."

"Then why are you always sighing and scowling?"

"I've been doing that since elementary school," Gaara explained.

"Yeah, but it's like this is directed at a certain person."

"It is."

"Who then?"

"Don't worry about it, Naruto..." Gaara guided his bar and weights back where they belonged and sat up. He fished around in his pockets for a bit until he found a small set of keys.

"Here," he said, chucking that at Naruto. When he saw that they were caught, Gaara reached over for his shirt and wiped off a bit of sweat. "Go get something out of the vending machine."

"But-"

"The money's in the bag that's in the locker on the key. Just go get something."

Gaara waited until he was sure Naruto was out of earshot before sighing miserably into his hands. He knew that he'd started out not liking Naruto's relationship, but he wasn't so sure if that was just it anymore. Sure, it bothered him, but that blonde punk was always so happy now. He always had something to smile about, and if he was feeling a bit down, Gaara knew that Sasuke would have been able to fix the tiny teen up. He was actually happy that Naruto had someone to depend on more than anyone else, but that didn't explain his problem. He knew he didn't want them together.

Naruto was his. He had been since they met. Naruto, the giant ball of sunshine that loved everyone and everything. The happy kid that didn't know that anyone was different from anyone else. The caring, fun loving soul that would accept any poor kid into his ranks as 'friend.'

Gaara hadn't been in school long when it happened, but it was long enough to know what rejection was. He didn't exactly know why no one liked him, but he could tell that they didn't. After dealing with that for what seemed like an eternity, Naruto had come to school. Sure, he had Sasuke with him most of the time, but whenever Uchiha wasn't there, and he spotted Gaara alone, Naruto would at least go sit and talk with him.

No one else would bother with him at all though until middle school when the 'emo' thing was 'hot'. Everyone thought he was cool for a bit, so he had at least made acquaintences. Naruto was still his very best friend though, and, when the club had come into play, it only made him want to be closer to Naruto than ever. Gaara had had Naruto for almost his entire school career. He'd be damned if he was going to be sucked out of his life from a spoiled, rich brat that didn't appreciate anything. He was not going to lose his best friend...

Gaara came out of his thoughts when a cup was shoved under his nose, and steam filtered through it.

"I got you a hot chocolate," Naruto said with a smile. "Take it so I can eat my ice cream??"

"Thanks," the redhead said, gladly taking the steaming drink. Naruto sat next to Gaara on the bench. Naruto started eating his ice cream sandwich, and Gaara started sipping on the drink that the blonde had picked up for him.

"So, what do you think you can do to--"

"Argh!!" Naruto shrieked. He barely made sure that it was in the wrapper and put his ice cream next to him. "Crap!"

"...Brain freeze??"

"And I still don't know how to get rid of it!!" the blonde complained. "This happens way too much..."

"Touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth," Gaara suggested. "It happens because it gets too cold there."

"My tongue it cold!!"

"Fold it over," Gaara said with a shrug.

"... What??"

Gaara sighed before carefully setting his drink on the floor. "C'mere," he said, arms outstretched.

Naruto scrambled to sit on his lap, still trying to ease away his pain by pressing his temples. It never really worked. "What?"

"Forgive me for this one instance, okay?" Gaara grabbed hold of Naruto's thin wrists and held them tight at his sides. As quickly and un-sensually as he could, Gaara pushed his lips up against his friend's. He was shocked to see that Naruto didn't struggle, but looked at him with mild curiosity instead. Taking it as a blessing, Gaara gently eased his tongue past tiny teeth and pressed it up against the soft palate.

He watched in some interest as Naruto seemed to melt at the release of tension in his head. When Gaara could tell Naruto wasn't donning a frown anymore, he eased off. "There."

Naruto didn't leave his perch. Instead, he threw an arm over Gaara's neck and locked his fingers together on the other side so that he was hugging him. "Tell me something," he said.

"Hm?"

"Why couldn't I just drink your hot chocolate?"

Gaara's brain seemed to freeze without the aid of any confectionery. Why hadn't he given him the drink instead? It made a hell of a lot more sense if nothing else.

"Sorry," he said quickly, trying to tug Naruto off of him. "I don't know what happened. Maybe work is starting to take over in my brain. Really, I don't know why I did that, Naruto."

Said blonde laughed as his friend turned quite a few shades so that he was actually hot to the touch. "It's okay, Gaara, geez," he giggled out.

"No, I'm sorry," the redhead insisted. "I should have put more thought into it."

"Mm... you're right. A little thought would have been nice," Naruto agreed.

Gaara sighed miserably as he gave up on getting Naruto off of him. "I'm sorry," he tried again. "You know I'v been off lately, and I don't know where it's coming from, but really, I am sorry about the rape there."

Naruto undid his hands and let the front one trail a bit along Gaara's shirt before it came to rest with two fingers hooked into his collar. "I said it was fine," he sighed, leaving his left hand to twirl with the curls on the back of Gaara's neck. His hair was getting longer, so they were starting to fold out like little wings almost.

"You sure?" Gaara asked.

"I'm sure," the blonde giggled back. "I actually think I may have needed it. Here-- for thanks."

Naruto leaned over and deftly pressed his lips to Gaara's. He detected a quiver just before they touched-- probably because Gaara may have still thought that Naruto was mad at him. If he had, that thought was certainly gone by now.

"Naruto... stop." Gaara ordered, yanking softly at the back of his shirt. "You know you don't really want to do this..."

"How would you know?"

"Because you love Uchiha," Gaara said weakly. Weak was not a trait that Gaara donned willingly. "You're just mad at him..."

Naruto pouted.

"Seriously," Gaara went on. "I'm your friend, Naruto, and I'm willing to admit that I'm no contest for feelings when it comes to him."

"You're the kind of person that everyone gets everything wrong about..."

"Why's that?" Gaara asked, finally succeeding in removing his friends limbs from him. Naruto was still on his lap though.

"You're way selfless..."

"I don't see how," Gaara declared.

Naruto sighed before standing up and grabbing his ice cream. "Whatever. Come back to the room with me? I wanna get something."

"Sure." Gaara grabbed his shirt and frowned. "I don't suppose you saw a clean one in the locker?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Well, I won't be wearing this..." Gaara folded his shirt a few times then stuck it in his belt behind him. "I'll just grab a new one when we get down to your room since I'm across the hall."

"'Kay." As they started walking, Naruto added, "Carry me?"

"What?" Gaara asked, furrowing his brow.

"Carry me? On your back I mean. Please?"

"Why not," Gaara sighed, bending over so that the blonde could jump. "I mean, I only lost a total workout because you raped me. I don't see why it can't go a little further."

"Shut up," Naruto pouted as he climbed up his friend's back. "You make me feel like I'm bad at it."

"Nah," Gaara said, shaking his head. "It was just a bit shocking is all. It's not every day that your best friend tries to make out with you."

"Am I really your best friend??" Naruto asked.

"Of course you are," Gaara said with a frown. "Why wouldn't you be?"

Naruto shrugged. "Who cares. Just get me to my rooms good sir."

"Right away," Gaara played along. They talked and laughed the entire way back. Gaara forgot that he'd left his hot chocolate, but he didn't really care. He wasn't losing his best friend like he thought he was. so everything was fine.

-.-

Neji scowled as he caught of glimpse of a half naked Gaara with a very playful Naruto on his back headed toward the rooms. He wasn't sure what he was feeling right then, but he damn sure didn't like it.

"Fucker," he hissed at no one in particular.

"Who?" Sasuke asked from next to him. They were the only two left at their table, and there wasn't anyone within two tables near them.

"No one," Neji said grimly, taking a sip of his caffeine to distract himself. "Life just likes to crumble to shit every now and then is all."

"You don't have to tell me that," Sasuke sighed, dropping his chin to his folded arms.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Everything," the younger teen admitted.

"Bull. You're alive."

"But I'm having Uzumaki problems, and he _is _everything," Sasuke explained dismally. "I don't know what to do!!"

"What is it?" Neji asked out of habit.

Sasuke sat up a bit to look around real quick before deciding that he could confide in his friend. He cupped one hand over the side of his mouth as he whispered. "I lost my virginity two days ago."

Neji almost choked on his latte. Why was he being told this?

"And someone found out," the raven moaned, pulling at his hair. "I'm being blackmailed, Neji!!" Sasuke sat up with pure heartache on his face.

"Sasuke..."

"I can't take it!!" the heir wailed. "I can't see him, I can't talk to him... I can't even text him anymore!! It's not fair!!" He slammed his fist hard on the table to emphasize it. He felt water pricking at his eyes and blinked it away instantly.

"...I'm sorry," was all Neji could think to say.

"It's not your fault," Sasuke sighed.

"I guess..."

"But it's ridiculous!!" Sasuke all but shouted. "It's no one else's business what we do! No one should be so obsessed that they have to spy on us!! No one hates us _that_ much!!"

"Yeah..."

"God... I just wish I knew who did it," Sasuke growled. "Then I'd just kick his ass..."

"Well... what'd they do?"

"Video taped it," Sasuke said, venom laced in each word.

"Well... you know it's a staff member or someone in the student council then," Neji said with a shrug. "Only we can get in electronics. Our stuff isn't searched like everyone else's."

"...You're right," Sasuke realized. "It has to be someone like that... no one else could do it... But then who the hell would want to?!"

Neji just shrugged. He was starting to wonder if he should get involved. "I don't know, Sasuke. Do some investigating and see what you can dig up I guess."

"Yeah..." Sasuke stood up and grabbed his zip up hoodie from the back of the chair. "Thanks, Nej. I think I'll go take a shower then get right on that."

"Sure." Neji just watched as Sasuke left and disappeared down the hall. "Lucky bitch," he mumbled. The only thing wrong with that though, was that he didn't know to whom he was referring...

-.-

When Sasuke made it to his door, it was partially open already. He just tapped it a bit and wasn't entirely relieved to see that Naruto was laying on his designated bed.

"Hey," Sasuke said, shutting the door and walking by.

He didn't get a response.

Sasuke sighed as he peeled off his pajama shirt and tossed it to his bed on the other side of the room. "What're you so mad about?"

Naruto just reached under his pillow and pulled out a magazine. He started reading, still not answering his boyfriend.

"Whatever, Ru."

"Oh, you're talking to _me_??" Naruto gawked. "Well shit... it's only been two days."

"Sorry," Sasuke sighed. "I've been really busy lately is all."

"I'm sure," Naruto sneered, still staring at his magazine. "I mean, everyone else can fine time to at least say hello. I'm certain you have excellent reasons."

"You haven't seen everyone..."

"Like hell I haven't!!" Naruto cried, tossing the zine to the floor and sitting up. He nearly leapt off the bed to scowl in Sasuke's face. "Tell me who I haven't seen!!"

Sasuke looked around the room to stall a bit. He was sure he wasn't going to find an answer anywhere, but it just made him feel a slight bit more sure of himself. "I dunno... Neji??"

"I saw him yesterday. And this morning," Naruto said. "He gave him a butterscotch 'cause I looked evil as hell."

Sasuke scoffed. "Well I'm sorry that they're all willing to toss aside their duties for a sad little boy that shouldn't need watching after."

Naruto was already slamming the door when Sasuke had finally registered that he'd been slapped. The stinging sensation was a little delayed due to the fact that Naruto's hurt and angry countenance was burned into his brain.

"Naruto, come on," Sasuke sighed as he opened the door to the hallway. "I didn't mean it."

"Fuck off, Uchiha," Naruto sneered, pushing open the door to Gaara's room.

"Naruto--"

"I said fuck _off!!_" the blonde cried, slamming the door behind him.

Sasuke stood in his wake, miserable and sulking in his own pity. The mopey raven shuffled back into his room. He took a shower and then soundlessly laid in bed. He refused to leave the room unless he was dragged out.

-.-

"That was a bit ridiculous, Naruto," Gaara sighed when he came out of the bathroom. He'd just finished his shower. "I mean really..."

"He deserved it," Naruto justified, plopping down on the edge of one of the beds with his arms crossed. "He's such an ass."

Gaara rolled his eyes. "So am I..."

"Yeah well... you're being awfully nice to me lately, and he isn't. How's that?"

Gaara scoffed and shook his head as he grabbed his belt from a chair. Putting it on, he said, "Yeah I guess so."

"...Hey, Gaara?" Naruto called, finally cooled down. He'd been watching his friend since he'd stormed in, and something struck him as odd.

"What?"

"Why are you getting dressed up, exactly??"

Gaara gave his hair one last tousle with his gelled hand before turning to his tiny friend. "You and I have a date tonight."

"... A what??" Naruto deadpanned. "I could've sworn you just said that you and I--"

"Have a date??"

Naruto peered around Gaara to see who had come in.

"Yeah, he's been talking about it since yesterday," Neji said with an air of indifference. "I swear, I never would have thought that Subakuno could be annoying until I had to share a bed with him..."

"...There're two beds," Naruto offered. "So why were you sharing??"

Neji made to answer, but Gaara interrupted. "Princess here couldn't take the fact that his side of the room had a leak on it. Remember the _drizzle_ last night??"

"That is so weak, Neji," Naruto sighed in disappointment.

"Whatever," the Hyuuga snorted. "I'm not going on a date with my best friend."

"Who said I was??" Naruto challenged.

"Are you going to turn me down the one time I decide to be presentable??" Gaara cooed from his spot by the door.

He gave Gaara his attention, and Naruto's heart stopped for an instant. It honestly was the first time he'd ever seen the redhead in any dressy attire other than his school uniform. He was in tan kakhis; a clean, white button down shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows; and a nondescript leather belt. His shirt was tucked in, and his hair was gelled into gently knocked around curls. He wore a pair of black and white converse since they were the only shoes he'd brought besides a set of sandals.

"Don't drool, Uzumaki," Neji snickered. "You're taken, remember??"

Nartuo snapped to attention and shook his head, stopping on the brunette with a heated gaze. "I didn't forget, and I wasn't drooling!!"

"Sure," Neji said, relaxing onto the other bed and flipping on the television. "Keep telling yourself that..."

"Oh whatever," Naruto scoffed, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. "Screw you."

"I'm not so opposed to that," Neji said with a seemingly longing gaze.

"... It was a joke, man..."

"I'm only teasing," Neji declared, waving the blonde off. "And when are you two leaving, anyway?"

"So eager to get rid of us, Hyuuga??" Gaara asked, grabbing his jacket from the hook by the door.

"I plan on starting an orgy."

"Good-_bye_, Neji," Naruto giggled, pushing Gaara out the door. The redhead grabbed his bag just in time.

"Wait here a second?" Naruto asked. He walked to his own door fishing his key from his pocket. "I need to get something, okay?"

"Sure," Gaara said with a shrug. "I'll just wait by the door."

"'Kay." Naruto gently eased the door open, walked in, and looked around. He saw Sasuke on his bed. His towel was the only thing around him, and it was barely hanging on. He still looked a bit damped, but he must've been doing something important because Sasuke didn't sleep on his stomach by himself. He always thought the pillow would choke him, and he wouldn't notice. He started his way over, and about two feet from the bed, Naruto noticed a piece of paper that Sasuke had clutched in his hand.

Just when he was going to grab it, he head the door open.

"Naruto, really, we're going to be late," Gaara said from the entrance. "Hurry up."

"I'm coming!" the tiny freshman called back. "God... hold on a second..." Naruto abandoned his previous plans and scurried over to his suitcase. He zipped open the front pouch and pulled his two markers out. In about thirty seconds, he touched up on the marks on his stomach and was putting the markers away again.

On his way out, Naruto grabbed his windbreaker from a chair by the wall that blocked the rest of the room from people looking in at the door. As he snatched his keys off of the table beside the door, he stopped on his mad dash out. It was a habit for Naruto to always say something to Sasuke, if not kiss him before he left for a while. Usually, when he was sleeping, it woke the callous teen up, and he was a bit sour about it. He never really complained though.

"Dammit, Naruto, come on," Gaara sighed, frustrated.

"Alright, alright..." Naruto furrowed his brow for half a second in thought before turning to leave. "Later," he called over his shoulder in a whisper.

The raven didn't stir.

Naruto gently closed the door behind him as he left for his day with Gaara.

Sasuke sat awake in his bed, staring blankly at the headboard. A ragged sigh escaped him when he heard the door click. Forlorn, he folded the paper he'd been writing on and hid it under his pillow. He finally closed his eyes, something like brokenhearted.

"Dammit..." he muttered to himself. "I will find the bastard that started this and surely make it so that he can't eat unless someone else is forcing it down a tube."


	40. Get Together

sorry it took so loooong guys. flash drive trouble... again. truly its the only problem I ever have so yah... here's you nexyt chapter lol. it's coming to a close!! :o_

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_Chapter: 40_

"Hey, Gaara..." Naruto called when they finally stopped at a red light.

Said redhead looked behind him to answer his friend. "What?"

"How'd you get a bike here??"

Gaara chuckled in his helmet as he turned back around. "Htuuga's people brought it up for me."

Naruto loosened his grip to take that it. "Seriously? He did that for you?"

"Mhm." Gaara revved the throttle, and the bike lurched forward. Naruto locked his grip just in time so that he wouldn't fall off the back of the motorcycle. He kept his hold tight and his head down for the rest of the ride. He was careful when he was leaning into the turns, and he helped out when he could if Gaara wanted to switch lanes.

Finally, Naruto felt the bike slow and stop against the curb. He sighed as he untangled himself from his friend. Getting off the bike, the blonde had a bit of trouble standing, and he needed to steady himself against the nearest wall.

"What's the matter, Uzuamki?" Gaara teased. "Can't handle a new bike?"

"New?" Naruto repeated.

"Yep." Gaara took off his helmet and patted the seat of the bike. "This here is my new Ninja. Like it?"

That was when Naruto actually realized that it wasn't Kankurou's bike at all. It was far sleeker, and it had a different color scheme: red and black with a hint of green.

"Well, it is rather sexy," the cerulean eyed teen affirmed. "I like to suppress those thoughts though."

"Whatever," Gaara said with a chuckle. He jammed his keys in his pocket and stuffed his helmet under his arm. Naruto followed suit and finally took his off. In Gaara's opinion, his helmet hair always looked much better than the way Naruto actually wore it. The way it was smashed to his head and then flared out a little further passed his ears always appeared to the older teen.

"Could you maybe... stop staring?" Naruto asked, averting his gaze to the streetlamp a bit further away.

"Oh, sorry," Gaara apologized, faking a cough. "Anyway, let's go."

"You know... I'm not dressed up, right?"

"I know," the redhead affirmed, gently gripping his friend by the arm."Just come on."

Naruto groaned and followed as he was tugged along. He didn't pay much attention until after they'd made it into the building. A blast of air conditioning and music hit the tanned blonde in the face, waking him from his stupor from the bike ride. Shaking away his disorientation, Naruto was finally able to assess where he was.

The first thing he could make out other than the strobe lights that were bent on blinding him, was the shake that seemed to come with the floor. The reverberating sound that was pouring from the wall mounted speakers traveled through the cement and met his toes in his sneakers. It was rock, and someone was whining over the cords. He searched the room and found the ill-voiced culprit. That was when it hit him.

"Karaoke?" Naruto asked, scrunching his face in confusion. "You dressed up for karaoke?"

"Nah," Gaara giggled. "It's the Hyuuga brat's birthday."

"... Oh!! Hinabi, yeah?"

"Yeah. I guess you forgot, but Hinata invited you as well," Garaa mocked. "Sakura's is tomorrow, so she just threw them both a huge bash thing."

"... And I forgot?!" Naruto cried. "Well damn. I've been distraacted."

"Obviously," Gaara agreed, placing his hand on the back of Naruto's neck. "Come on, time to mingle your way out of your depression."

Naruto harrumphed. "I am not depressed, thank you."

"Alright. Time to go talk to your friends then," Gaara amended. "Hyuuga should be here soon, too."

"Sasuke?"

Gaara started a bit at his name. "I'm not sure. He said he'd be here when Hinata asked him."

"Oh."

"Cheer up," Gaara sighed, moving his hand back and forth under Naruto's hair as they walked. "At least you can enjoy yourself."

"Yeah, but..." Naruto sighed dismally.

Agitated, Gaara snaked his way into the back of the blonde's windbreaker and ran his hand down the back of his shirt. Naruto jumped at the icy touch, but was stuck due to the tightness that made a windbreaker a windbreaker.

"G-gaara!!" he cried. "Alright! Alright!! I'll be chill, I swear!!"

The redhead smirked in triumph as he removed his hand. He placed it on top of Naruto's flattened locks and noogied him a bit. "Good."

"Ugh..." Naruto groaned once his friend had ended his assail on him. "Don't make that face..."

"What?" Gaara inquired. "What face?"

"That I-got-you-so-what-now face..."

"...There's a face for that?"

"Shut up," Naruto chuckled, shoving him a bit. He was quick to turn away once Gaara was out of view. The redhead had no slow eye, though, and he caught the blush that ran across the bridge of Naruto's nose to meet his ears and redden them as well.

"Well why can't I make it?" he asked once he'd regained his balance.

"Because..." Naruto trailed off. He didn't really have a reason. A lot of people made that face. Almost all of his friends did. "I dunno..."

"Sure you don't."

"I don't!" the tiny freshman whined. "Really! It kinda just... it's embarrassing..."

Truly perplexed, Gaara had to pose a question. "How the hell does a face _I _make embarrass _you_??"

"I'unno..." Naruto admitted throwing his gaze to the floor. "It just does..."

"Alright," the redhead agreed, throwing up his hands in front of him like a defense. "I won't make the face. As natural as it is, I'll try my damnedest to keep it out of your sight because you're my best friend."

"M'kay."

After a halt, Gaara smiled a treacherous smile and pushed Naruto forward a bit. The startled blonde looked around for a second before Hinata came into view. She had her arms out, and he instantly fell into them for a hug.

"You came!" she cheered, squishing him with her breasts.

"Yep." He tugged on her hair from behind a bit to send her a signal.

"Oh... sorry," she laughed. She loosened up a bit and hugged him from a bit of a distance.

"Thanks for another day."

"Any time." She let go and looked around timidly. Reverting to old habits, she started playing with her fingers. "So, uhm... about Kiba's place..."

""Hm?" Naruto donned a quizical look. "What? Does he need help cleaning his room again??"

"N-no... At the party I was..." Hinata looked around for the right word. "Out of line."

"...Ohhh... that." He scratched at the back of his hand and stared at the ceiling. "Mmm... I guess it's alright."

"R-really??"

"Yyyy...es. Yes," the blonde confirmed. He clasped his hands together on the upside down bowl his hair made now. "I was in denial for a bit myself, and you just apologized... So yes. It's alright."

Hinata was visibly lifted. She grabbed his hands from behind him and held them close to her chest. "Thank you! You really don't know how much that means to me."

"No problem," Naruto said with a smile. He then noticed that Gaara hadn't said much since Hinata showed up. "Where'd red go?"

"Gaara you mean?" Hinata asked. "He's over with Neji." A thought hit her. "You aren't dating him are you?!"

Naruto laughed aloud. "God no... I'm crazy, not suicidal."

"Really?" the pale eyed girl asked. "Either him or Kiba would be my only guess, and Kiba's taken... And neither of you is a cheater, so I really can't think of anyone."

"R... really??" Naruto asked disbelievingly. "You can't think of anyone else??"

"Well... Lee maybe... but I really hope he isn't your type..."

"No, he's not," Naruto admitted solemnly. "Geez... As much as everyone loves him, you'd think someone would notice..."

"They're the only people I've seen you with lately," Hinata offered. "Just Kiba, Gaara, and Neji."

Naruto sighed and tugged at the hair flipped over his ear. "Yeah I guess..."

"Hey!" the girl cried. "Don't be sad, Naru-chan... Here, come have some cake with me."

"Alright," the blonde said with a semblance of a smile. His friend proceeded to drag him off, and Naruto soon forgot about his problems, including the fact that Gaara had borderline ditched him to talked to Neji by the door.

The redhead shot a look at his friend stuffing his face at one of the long tables. Assuming he was fine, he went on with his conversation.

"So yeah, he's kind of depressed, thanks to you."

"What are you talking about?" Neji asked, offended. "It's not my fault!"

"Sure it isn't," the sinister teen scoffed. "He's just clinging to me because he feels like it."

"... Is he?" Neji inquired.

"Well, yeah," Gaara said, furrowing his brow. "What else would he be doing? Kiba's all wrapped up in his lover boy, and I'm happily single."

"... But you like him," Neji accused. "That's not fair at all."

"...Are you trying to blame me for being his best friend?" Gaaa asked, narrowing his eyes into a murderous look.

Neji followed suit and leaned forward a bit. "No. But I'm sure you knew that he'd come crawling to you the minute Sasuke started being an ass because someone's blackmailing him."

"Watch your toes, Hyuuga," the redhead warned. "I can't control things like that, but there's no way in Hell that you're going to sit here and accuse me of shit I didn't do. Not while we're sleeping in the same room."

Neji snarled and reverted to his original stance. "I think you forget who--"

"No," Gaara deadpanned. He placed a finger under Neji's chin and forced him to look into his eyes. "_You _forget who _you're _talking to, Hyuuga. I'm the big boss, and that's how it'll always be-- regardless of social standards. So get over yourself," he added grimly as he yanked his hand away. "You aren't so important that you aren't expendable."

Neji rubbed at his chin and scowled. "Whatever..."

Gaara rolled his eyes and shook a curl out of his field of vision. "Watch yourself, Hyuuga..."

Neji threw a look at the ground as a blush speckled the bridge of his nose. He glanced back at the teen towering above him from the corner of his eye. Reluctant as he was, Neji bit his tongue.

"Good boy," Gaara chided condescendingly. He kissed two fingers and pressed them to the Hyuuga boy's forehead. That was all Neji could take.

He moved as quickly as he could and grabbed at his abuser's wrist. He was a bit fast, but it didn't take Gaara by too much of a surprise. He was, however, taken aback that he could have even been grabbed. He sneered into Neji's arrogant look of triumph, and made a resolution that he was sure to regret. Rather than head-bashing the pale teen in front of him, Gaara deftly ran his lips against his roommate's.

Neji was appalled and tried to pull away, but all he did was hit the wall behind him. He did all he could and closed his eyes, willing the moment away with every fiber of his being.

When at last it was over, Neji all but growled in retaliation as he reeled back. A fist flew and hit Gaara square in the jaw, but the tanned teen didn't move. Instead, he merely smiled.

"Nice try Hyuuga." Gaara dropped one more peck on Neji's nose before letting him go and heading off to join Naruto.

Watching his back as he left, Neji couldn't help but go red with rage and embarrassment. At a loss, he stormed out the door and propped himself up against the concrete wall by the door. The Hyuuga just sat, seething, as people passed by. He'd hear the occasional close step and move out of the way, but he never looked at any of them. He was only cooling off in the spring night.

Just like the other people, he heard someone coming by a bit closer than he would have pleased. Out of courtesy, Neji straightened up to let the passerby through. They didn't go on, though. Confused, Neji took the time to look at his approacher.

"Hey, Nej."

"You actually came?" the pony-tail clad teen asked.

Sasuke sighed and slumped next to his cousin. "Yeah... I figured I'd try to make nice with Naruto... He's here, right?"

"Ah..." Neji sighed. "Yeah, he's here. He's inside with Subakuno."

"Gaara?"

"Of course," Neji scoffed, sticking his nose up. "Who else would he run to when he can't get to you?"

"I would think he'd go for Kiba, actually," Sasuke declared, furrowing his brow.

"Ah, me too," Neji concurred. "Little Red enlightened me, however. Kiba's got his own relationship, and Naruto isn't one to intrude."

"Yeah... that sounds about right..." Sasuke sighed once more before kicking off the wall. "You coming in?"

Neji shook his head and looked away to hide his blush. He coughed to get over the lump in his throat. "Not yet. You ah... Can I have a cigarette?"

"You don't smoke," Sasuke sighed, reaching into his pocket. "But sure... Don't make a habit out of it. It's bad for you," he added, handing one over.

"Thanks..."

"See ya," Sasuke said, throwing up a farewell as he retreated inside the building. He pushed the doors open with a purpose, and was heart set on winning back his blonde if it killed him. What he saw made him falter slightly though. It wasn't anything too serious, but it said something about the way Naruto felt. He was dancing with his friends, smiling and laughing the entire time. Apparently, he'd forgotten all about Sasuke and what they'd been going through.

He decided to leave then and there, but something stopped him. A thin, pale pair of arms encircled his waist and held him in place.

"Sasuke-kun!!" a pink blob shouted. "You made it!!"

"Yeah, hey, Haruno," the raven said a bit dismal. He really did want to leave.

"Sakura..." she grumbled.

"Sasuke," he said back.

"I'm glad you came," Sakura gushed. She grabbed his hand. "Here! We're going to start truth or dare."

Sasuke cringed. That was something he most certainly didn't want to deal with. Either you do idiotic stunts, or you dump out your dark secrets.

Sasuke just went along with the motions, he laughed when he heard other people laughing, and he 'ooooh'ed when he heard everyone else do it. He wasn't paying attention because he was too focused on the blonde sitting diagonally from him in the circle. Naruto was pleasantly seated on Gaara lap, and still hadn't seemed to notice that Sasuke was even there.

The raven sighed and watched the plastic bottle spin on its side. It landed on some girl he didn't care about, so he went back to silently stalking his blonde. Sasuke bristled when he saw that Gaara had set out to tickle the young freshman in his lap. Naruto managed to bite his hand to get him to stop, but that resulted in the redhead pouting. Naruto kissed it better to make him get over it.

Sasuke couldn't look after that, and instead focused his attention on Neji who had just come in a few minutes before. He sat seething, watching the yellow and red tanned couple also. Sasuke couldn't fathom why he was pissed though.

"Sasuke..." He felt a nudge in his side.

"What?"

"It's your turn," Sakura giggled.

Sasuke looked, disbelievingly at the plastic bottle in between the group of peers. Sure enough, the cap had stopped pointing at him. Fantastic. He shot a quick look at Naruto and saw that he was dumbfounded. Even better.

"Alright," Sasuke sighed. "Let's get it on then."

"Ah... okay, truth or dare??"

Sasuke started and looked at his blonde again. He had spun the bottle. That wasn't good. Either he was going to drag something out of him, or he was going to make him do the most embarrassing thing he could think of. Neither was a very good choice, but he had to make one.

"Ah... Can I ask what they would be first??"

Naruto sighed. "Well... I'm no good at dares..."

"Lap dance," Gaara suggested.

"I'm taken."

"Alright," Naruto agreed. "Then it's truth."

"Fine."

"Why are you ignoring me??"

Sasuke sighed. He knew that one was coming, but he actually wanted to answer it. He got up off the floor and waltzed over to where the blonde was snuggled into his friend's lap-- very much so copying the way Kiba and Kanurou were sitting. Sitting on his toes, Sasuke bent down and cupped a hand to Naruto's ear.

"Because I love you," he said just loud enough for Naruto, and maybe Gaara, to hear.

Naruto blushed.

"Is that okay?" Sasuke asked, pain clearly etched deep into his features.

Naruto nodded.

"Thanks." Sasuke returned to his seat.

"Hey!!" Ino cried. "Everyone is supposed to hear the answer!!"

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm sorry, but that's just too damn bad. I'll take a dare if you want."

"You have to do this one then," Ino threatened, as if she could actually do something to him.

Sasuke shrugged again and sighed, "Whatever."

"You can't make dares involving yourself!!" Sakura interjected before Ino had a chance. The platinum blonde sent her a glare that would put a cobra to shame and just got a waggled tongue in return.

"Really guys," Naruto sighed. "You're holding up the game."

"Fine," Ino hissed. "Taken or not, go kiss loudmouth Naruto since he wants it over so badly."

Sasuke looked at her for half a second and blinked. "... What are the parameters?"

"I want lip contact," she huffed. "You don't have to do anything else, but I know he'll hate it. Sorry for you too, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke sighed and picked himself up again. He sauntered over and crouched on his toes again, bouncing a bit when he reached his weight limit. Resting his elbows on his knees, Sasuke leaned forward and pressed his lips to the blushing blonde's. Naruto closed his eyes hard, trying to will away any emotions that came up, but it wasn't working.

He missed Sasuke with everything he was, and the fact that he was avoiding him made it that much worse. Especially since they shared a room. It didn't matter how much he stayed in there, Naruto never saw his roommate. A kiss was something he hadn't had in a long time, and finally getting one ruined the mental barriers he'd set up. He couldn't help himself.

Naruto reached up and grabbed Sasuke at his shirt collar to pull him in. Sasuke's eyes grew wide as he fell to his knees hard against the floor. Once he'd regained his balance, Sasuke softly tapped at Naruto's shoulder. Coming back to his senses, Naruto's eyes flew open.

He pushed Sasuke back with such a ferver that he landed hard on his backside half way to his designated spot on the floor. Naruto flashed twelve shades of red before turning his head and burrowing into Gaara's shoulder like a scared puppy.

Ino shook her head. "You should be ashamed of yourself," she scolded. "Already spoken for and enjoying that so much..."

"Can't you see that he is?" Gaara sighed, rubbing at the back of Naruto's head. It'd been a while since the bike ride, so his hair was starting to come back up to its normal style.

"Anyway," Sasuke interrupted, clearing his throat. He reached out and spun the bottle. It landed on Gaara and his pet. Of course Gaara took it. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," he said with a shrug.

"Take him home?"

"Yeah," the redhead said with a nod. "See you later, guys," he added as he stood. Naruto was on the smaller side, and Gaara was older and stronger, so carrying him was nothing big. Keeping him alive on the bike would be troublesome though.

"Trade keys with me, Uchiha?"

Sasuke fished around in his pocket and fetched the tiny ring of keys. There were only three on the whole thing.

"Don't scratch it," he said, tossing them to Gaara.

"Same to you," the tanned teen replied, passing his own keyring over. His had five. "Do you just want me to take him to my room?"

"If that's what he wants," Sasuke admitted. "Is it okay if I ride for a while?"

Gaara nodded. "I'll meet you back at the hotel." With that, he walked out.

Sasuke decided that it was time for him to go as well. He excused himself as politely as he could, milking the fact that he was a bit embarrassed at the exchange as an excuse. With blessings, he left the concert hall and mounted Gaara's bike. He grabbed the red helmet and mashed it on, hardly caring about his hair. With expert motions, Sasuke zoomed off to spend the rest of his curfew alone. He knew no one was going to follow him, and Naruto didn't especially care to see him presently.

He finally stopped at a park and got off the bike. Sasuke sat, sullen, next to a small pond populated by fireflies and tiny frogs. He just kept to himself as they sang and danced through the night. There was a breeze, and it caught his hair a bit. the young Uchiha didn't worry about it though and sat still, snuggled up to his knees with his arms crossed to simply brace the slight chill that came with it. The grass was soft and served as a good cushion against the bare hardness of the ground. He was shocked a bit when he heard someone walking ever so slowly on the grass behind him.

Sasuke sprang to his feet and snapped to attention, taking up a fighting stance on the way. someone came out of the shadows with a single hand raised in surrender.

"Easy," the enigma said in a deep, icy voice that could freeze blood in the veins. Sasuke was a bit shaken at how this person could even get so far without his noticing. Sasuke was a very cognizant person, and no one should sneak past him like that.

"Who--"

"It doesn't matter," the man said, careful to hide his face behind the high collar of his coat. "I simply have a proposition for you."

Sasuke started to speak again, but was hushed. "Just listen, young Uchiha."

Sasuke swallowed. Sure, he was well known, but at least he always knew who he was talking to.

"Your brother," the mystery man began, "is a very important person. What ever would you do if something should happen to him?"

A breeze came, and Sasuke was made aware of the sweat on his neck. What could this man possibly be implying about Itachi?

"Say... he should be injured, or threatened even-- we all know he'd leave. Especially if it had to do with you. Wouldn't that just ruin things?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Now... what if you knew where he went? As much as he's done to the family name," the man chuckled, "everyone still loves him, and he's very important to you, correct?" He paused, and Sasuke nodded. "I can tell you where he goes after he carries out his plan. He told me about it. He's made his purchase under a fake name, and he can't be tracked. I'm the only help you can even hope to get in finding him."

"... He has a plan?" Sasuke asked, perturbed. "And he's leaving once he's done? That doesn't sound right."

"Believe what you want," the man in said from a distance, "but I keep tabs on him. If you ever wish to find him, all I want is one promise from you, and to make sure I get it of course."

"Well... what do you want?" Crazy people were always best dealt with by just going along with whatever it was they wanted to hear. He figured he'd just appease the man and bolt back to his room-- Naruto or not.

"I just want your word for now." He fished around in his pocket, and Sasuke managed to catch a glimpse of an earring when he dipped his head. Finding what he wanted, the man sent a card flying toward Sasuke's face. The heir caught it, but sustained a nasty cut in the process. He read the card.

"Call that number right now," the ominous man ordered, and Sasuke was quick to comply once he tore his phone from his own pocket. It rang twice before the man waved a hand, telling him to hang up. When he got home, Sasuke was getting a new phone number.

"That's all," the man stated matter of factly. "I'll leave you be now. And I promise to inform you if anything happens," he added as he retreated to the shadows.

Once he was certain the strange man was gone, Sasuke made a mad dash for the bike and zipped to the hotel. Curfew or not, he was going to be back before he needed to be. He'd forgotten that the public still isn't a fun place.

After he'd parked Gaara's bike, Sasuke swiftly made it inside and to his hallway. He rapped on Gaara and Neji's door a few times before it opened. "Keys," Sasuke said, his breath nearly gone.

"Yeah, hold on," Gaara said before retreating in the room. He returned within the next twenty seconds, a tiny ring of keys circling his finger. "Here... What's got you all shaken? You're a lot whiter than usual."

Sasuke ran a hand across his forehead and let out a huff of air. "Nothing, I'm fine." He cleared his throat and loosened the collar of his jacket. "Naruto?"

"He's in his bed," the redhead said with a shrug. "We're from San Diego, and we keep the house hot, so he couldn't take it."

"Alright," Sasuke said. "I'll see you at the meeting tomorrow then."

Gaara nodded and shut the door. "Night," he called from inside.

Sasuke nodded to no one and quickly barreled his way into his own room. Sure enough, after he took off his jacket and set down his keys, he say the tiny blonde curled up on his bed for once. Sasuke had noticed that Naruto had taken to sleeping in the raven's bed instead since he was never there. Right then though, it saddened him a bit to think that Naruto had given up on waiting for him.

Sasuke sighed as he stripped down to his necklace and boxers then adjusted the heat to a normal temperature. Debating with himself for a few minutes, he stood in the middle of the room, gazing longingly at his emotionally distraught lover. He knew what he was doing was killing him, and his psyche had to be tearing apart again with all the confusing signals Sasuke was putting him through.

Against his better judgement, Sasuke made sure that the door was locked, as well as the windows, and turned off the lights. He pulled the blankets up and snuggled in close behind the whiskered teen who sighed and seemed to melt at his touch. Sasuke sighed into his blonde locks and curled his body to his, entwining their legs and wrapping his arm around Naruto, letting it come to rest on his belly. It was a bad thing to do, and he knew it, but Naruto was too important to just forget-- like whatever the ass of a person that recorded them wanted him to.

Nestled in the familiar scent of lavender and vanilla, Sasuke rubbed Naruto's exposed shoulder. He kissed it and picked up the smell of cinnamon the blonde carried. Knowing that he would regret it, Sasuke stayed close to Naruto that night and didn't leave him in the morning. Meeting or not, it didn't starat til ten. That was long enough for him.  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	41. Bye

heeeey look!! it's chapter 41!! :D omgz!! lol :3 well, now I can honestly say-- it's almost done... =( how sads buuuuuuut.... there shall be a sequel :3 be happyz_

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Naruto awoke to the sound of soft snoring in his ear. There was an unfamiliar, yet nostalgic weight about his waist that seemed to stop just at his hip. He moved little, stretching before he tried to get out of the bed, and felt a nuzzle behind him.

"Don't move," Sasuke whined. "Not yet..."

Naruto just swallowed past the lump in his throat and nodded. He placed one hand under the pillow, and the other over the one resting on his belly. Warm fingers curled into his and held fast. Sasuke's fingers, the blonde realized. He was in the bed with Naruto again.

Naruto rolled over to take a look at the other boy laying with him. Sasuke had, in fact, gotten in the bed shirtless, and Naruto could feel that he wasn't wearing pants either. That meant that he was only in his boxers, and the younger freshman was ecstatic to think so.

"Hey, 'Suke," he called, putting his arms around his raven.

"What?" the young heir groaned.

"It's nice to see you for once," Naruto said with a smile.

"Thanks," the ashen teen sighed, pulling the tanned one closer and nuzzling into a familiar shoulder.

"So... is that really why you're ignoring me?" Naruto asked, twisting his fingers around in Sasuke's hair.

Said Uchiha nodded. "It really is because I love you, Ru... This right now could be awful for us."

"Don't tell me you think that all the sudden you're bad for my health," the blonde pouted.

Sasuke chuckled. "No, that's not it. But hey, I do need to leave," he said apologetically. "I have a meeting today."

"Can't you skip it?" the darker teen whined, knotting his fingers in Sasuke's onyx locks.

Sasuke winced at the pull on his skull. "Cut it out, Ru," he beseeched. "You know I still have my responsibilities... I'll come see you later, okay?"

"Promise?"

Sasuke sighed as he managed to release the hold on his hair then sat up. "You know I can't do that, Ru. My life is far too unpredictable..."

Naruto sighed and rolled over. He pulled the covers up and curled into the fetal position he slept in. "Fine."

"Naruto..." Sasuke huffed out another dismal sigh and collapsed back to the bed. "Really... I would stay if I could, but I have to go. I don't know what I have to do after that, so I can't promise I'll see you. Can't you please understand that?"

"Yeah, I guess..." Naruto rolled back over to face the pale brunette.

"Please don't be so melancholy..."

"How can I not?!" Naruto cried. "I don't see you, I don't hear from you... You won't even text me for God's sake!"

Sasuke sighed and pulled a pained expression. His forehead wrinkled as his eyebrows arched outward, and a frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Naruto... please," the raven pleaded. "I took a risk for you last night. If you can honestly say that you didn't sleep well, then I'll stay with you all day to make up for it."

Naruto settled. He couldn't even begin to think that. No nightly terrors wracked him, no horrid dreams ailed him, and he felt as if he was completely rejuvenated. With a sigh, he sat up and put his arms around his boyfriend's neck. "I miss seeing you though," he mumbled.

"I know."

"We leave tomorrow night," Naruto added.

"I know," Sasuke sighed, circling the blonde's waist with his sinewy arms. "I promise I'll make up for your stay here..."

"Okay..."

There was a pregnant silence that tumbled about the room. Every so often, a sound could be heard from a bug hitting the window, or someone else using the shared plumbing on the hallway, but there was nothing that created noise as the two teens hugged each other longingly. At last, one of them found the nerve to speak.

"I love you," Naruto murmured into Sasuke's collarbone.

The silence returned again, and the raven squeezed his eyes tight. He wanted to say it, truly he did. Naruto meant everything in the world to him.

But he couldn't do it. He had far too many problems with it. He'd been betrayed so much, lied to so often... As much as he wanted to, the Uchiha heir just couldn't force himself to respond the way he so burningly desired.

"I know," was what came out in a haggard sigh. When he heard Naruto do the same, he was quick to add, "I'm sorry!!"

"It's okay," Naruto assured him in a hushed whisper. He let his arms fall and planted a quick kiss on the pallid teen's lips. "Go to your meeting, 'Suke."

"Thanks..." Sasuke got up, showered, and dressed within twenty minutes, then he was out the door.

Naruto flopped back into his pillows and grabbed the remote from the bedside table. He flipped through the channels for an hour before a knock came at the door. Naruto wasn't one to be hopeful, but he wanted to see Sasuke so badly that he nearly bolted for the door. He was crestfallen when he saw Kiba instead. "Hey..."

"Geez... Don't be so happy to see me," Kiba pouted.

"Sorry," the blonde honestly apologized. "I was just expecting someone else.

"Would that be Uchiha?"

Naruto scoffed. "E-yah. What's up?"

"Well... that Uchiha wants to see you," the shaggy brunette teased. "And I might be able to tell you where to find him."

"...Don't play games, Kiba," Naruto sighed, starting to close the door.

"_Quittez! Quittez!!_" the dog lover begged, forcing his way between the door and the jamb. "Seriously! He told me to come get you."

"Alright fine," Naruto countered. "Where is he then?"

Kiba managed to push the door off of him and breathe again. "He's in the sauna," he offered.

"...Really?"

"Yes!! Oh my God... it's not going to kill you to just go and _check_."

"Fine," Naruto sighed. "I'll go."

"Alright!" Kiba cheered. "I'll see you later then, Porn-star!"

"...Why are you so happy about me going to see my boyfriend, exactly?"

"Equivalent exchange," the feral teen said with a wink. "I got a favor from your lovely Uchiha for retrieving you."

Naruto shook his head and giggled. "I should have known."  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Once he was sure he had everything he needed, Naruto was on his way down to the sauna to try and meet Sasuke. The only problem was that he didn't know if he was actually there, and, if he was, he may have had to leave before the blonde made it. That would suck just as horribly as everything else that had been happening that week. Although, that morning had been a refreshing change. Though it was short, Naruto actually got to talk to and , in a way, spend time with his lover. The retreat had been hell up until then, really, and he was glad that he had something to keep him alive through it.

Naruto kept pondering his relationship and the factors affecting it now as he made his trek to the sauna. When he finally made it, he was elated. Sasuke was, in fact, there. He'd just gone into the steam house when Naruto arrived. The flaxen teen cracked a good smile before he could steel his face. Once he looked impassive again, Naruto made his way into the hot little shack and closed the door behind him. He saw that Sasuke was the only one there, and obliged to lock the door when he was asked.

"Quiet tones," Sasuke shushed, getting up to meet his boyfriend.

"Why?"

"Because if a certain someone knows we're talking, I have to leave," Sasuke warned. Naruto nodded in his understanding. "Alright... So... how was your day?"

Naruto giggled. "Small talk, Sasuke? Really? That's not like you."

"Give me some credit, Uzumaki," Sasuke sighed. "I'm nervous."

"Come on..." Naruto placed his arms around the ashen teen before him. "We'll be out of here tomorrow night," he assured him. "You'll be okay."

"Well, yeah," Sasuke agreed, encircling the blonde's waist, "but what am I supposed to do until then? And what if this is still going on?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Naruto crooned. "You're a very smart kid, Sasuke."

"I guess..."

"Hey," the whiskered teen pouted, his hair beginning to wilt in the steamy room, "don't waste the little time we have if you're truly that worried about it."

"Always to the point, huh?"

"Mm... not always," Naruto disagreed.

"When?"

"I'll show you," the tiny blonde said devilishly. He undid his hands and ran them down Sasuke's chest, making sure to go just as tantalizingly slow as he could.

"What're you doing?" Sasuke sighed.

"Attempting to calm you down," Naruto chuckled. "Seriously, Sasuke, you've got some issues," he added, moving his mouth to that sensitive spot on Sasuke's neck. He moved his lips against it slowly, drawing out a wonderful sound from the ashen teen before him.

This time, Sasuke sighed out of appreciation. He slowly drove the tiny blonde back against one of the steamy walls. The raven braced himself against the wall by placing one hand on it next to Naruto's head and the other on his waist. Sasuke drummed his fingers to gain his attention.

"What?" the other occupant asked, slightly agitated.

"You can't leave a mark," Sasuke groaned.

"Truly," Naruto pouted, "This sucks..." Then was one of those rare times when the tiny blonde put his hands on his lovers hips. With little effort, he was able to pull Sasuke against him.

A chuckle escaped the raven. "I get it, Ru... You can drag it out," he added with a sultry smile.

Naruto grinned back and preceded to actually hug his boyfriend around the waist, pressing his cheek into the pale chest before him. "Mhm!"

"Alright," Sasuke gave in. "I get it. I'm happy again, I promise."

"You're a damned liar," Naruto giggled.

"At least it's for you," Sasuke droned, pulling Naruto's head off of him by the hair. He dipped down to give him a kiss on the lips. "Wanna hear something insanely unoriginal?"

"Hmm?"

"I love the taste of your sweat," Sasuke admitted. He slowly ran his tongue along the artery in Naruto's neck for emphasis.

A chill managed to caress the blonde in the steamy sauna, and he shuddered at the feeling.

"If you don't want it loud," he said with a tap on Sasuke's shoulder, "then you can't do that..."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. "Hey! Open up!!" someone shouted from outside.

Sasuke sighed and eased off his little boyfriend. "Yeah, yeah," he grunted, pulling the door open. "I was leaving anyway."

"O...oh..." the boy outside stammered. "Sorry, Sasuke, I didn't know it was you in there."

"It's fine," the raven said with a wave of the hand. He tossed a salute over his shoulder, and walked through the door to the locker room.

"Geez..." he boy scoffed. "Never thought I'd get off that easy with Uchiha, huh?" he asked, turning to look at Naruto. "C-crap!!"

Naruto had an awful face. His eyebrows were buried deep in his face; his mouth was chiseled into a fierce scowl that bared teeth and released a growl. His tiny frame seemed to shake with anger as he watched the Raven retreat.

"H...hey, are you okay?" The boy by the sauna tried to tap him, but sorely regretted it.

"GOD _DAMMIT!!_ UCHIHA!!" the blonde roared. He stormed into the locker room and made a bee-line for the heir in the corner.

"Na-Naruto?"

"Heavenly shit!!" the whiskered teen cried. "I'm so fucking tired of you blowing me off like that!!"

"Ru..."

"No! I don't want your damn pet names, you sorry ass fuck!!" Naruto shouted, shoving Sasuke back into the lockers. "I've got an idea, Uchiha."

"Huh?" was all Sasuke could muster. He'd never, in all his years knowing him, seen Naruto so livid. The blonde was visibly heated, and adrenaline seemed to roll off of him harder and faster than the sweat beads that dripped from his body. Though he was small in stature, seeing Naruto like that scared Sasuke a bit.

"Leave me the fuck alone. Period. Indefinitely." Naruto let go of his prisoner in disgust. "I don't want to see you, hear from you, anything. You've got conflicting ideals. It's impossible to keep everyone happy, and I know that. So I'll be leaving."

As he watched Naruto make his way back to the door, not even bothering to gather his clothes, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a pit of absolute gloom and despair drop down and settle into the core of his soul. He reached out and tried to grab the younger teen's shoulder, but Naruto was still slick from the sauna; Sasuke's hand slipped off.

"What, Uchiha?"

"...Indefinitely?" Sasuke repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.

Naruto scoffed and continued his exit. "Yeah. We're done. I'm moving into Gaara's room while we're still here. I have to sit with you on the ride back, but we'll be going our separate ways from there."

"...This really isn't a time to be fooling around, Kit!"

"Kit's not here," Naruto deadpanned with a sinister glare. It pierced straight through Sasuke and could have burned a hole in the wall.

That chunk of pure misery split and started to trace itself throughout Sasuke's system as the realization of what was said sank in. He stood, eyes wide and mouth agape, as Naruto made his way out for good. Even the sound of the door closing shut behind his lost lover didn't wake Sasuke from his stupor. It wasn't until Neji came looking for him that Sasuke was able to swallow past the lump in his throat and hit the floor.

When he noticed that tears were silently leaking from his friend's eyes, Neji knelt down beside him with an arm around his shoulders, trying to rock the troubled raven to ease. No sound ever escaped Sasuke as he wept in self pity, and Neji never tried to make him explain himself. However, watching as the ashen heir openly lamented in front of him, Neji couldn't help but know that he was somehow guilty for what had happened to Sasuke.  
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	42. No Evidence

a short one. the last one would be way toooo long if i didn't cut it up some. =)

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"Come on... it can't be all that bad, can it?" Any good friend would try their best to keep their buddy happy, but this one wasn't too sure if he could do it. Here he was, rocking his younger friend back and forth like a baby while he bawled his eyes out.

"It is that bad!!"

"No... you'll be okay, really."

"No! I'm gonna die, dammit!! I'm gonna fucking die!!"

Gaara sighed as Naruto threw his face back into the redhead's chest. He'd just barely got what happened before the tiny blonde attacked him and dissolved to tears. He had to get the rest of the story from Neji who appeared to be in a similar situation.

"Naruto... you broke it off for your own good," the council member crooned. "You'll be better eventually if you did it for yourself."

"I didn't!!" Naruto shouted. The ferocity in his eyes when he looked up was enough to put Atila the Hun to shame. "I'd never be that selfish, dammit!!"

"What?" Gaara had to admit that he was taken by surprise. "Well then why'd you do it?"

Naruto sat up and sniffed to himself for a few minutes before he could find his voice to be understandable. "I really was fed up," he admitted morosely. "I couldn't take it, Gaara... It was like he was ashamed to have me or something. I really was dying inside everytime I saw him."

"How is that not doing it for yourself?"

"Just let me finish!" Naruto wailed, tears welling up again. "I didn't do it for myself!! Sasuke was... He... He knew what it was doing to me. I know he did! But... God." He sniffed and wiped his sleeve across his face. "I could see it was getting to him. Sooner or later, he was gonna snap on someone, and if it wasn't me, I'd know it was my fault. I couldn't let that happen."

"Why?"

"He'd take the blmae, Gaara!! It's not his fault this was happening!!"

"What could possibly make you think that?" Gaara scoffed.

"Because I actually _know_ him!!" the whiskered teen shouted. "I _know_ he's not such an ass!! I _know_ he loves me, even though he can't say it!! I _KNOW_ that it's not in him to hurt me just because he wants to, Gaara!!"

Gaara sighed and pulled his legs up criss-cross style. "Naruto."

"What?" the blonde called back, tears slowly leaking from his lashes without permission.

"It _will_ get better," the usually callous teen promised, taking his friend's hand in his own. "And if it doesn't..."

Naruto noted the pause and looked at his friend. "What?"

Gaara felt like his heart had been ripped out and shredded right in front of him. Naruto, his best friend in this life and any other, was falling to pieces right before him. The pain he saw that ached just behind the screen of tears clouding his blue eyes was enough to spur any and all emotion that Gaara had locked away.

He knew for a long time that Naruto was the only person that truly mattered to him. The tiny blonde had been his friend when everyone else shunned him. Naruto had run to him when conflicts were too much to handle. They'd been through thick and thin with Orochimaru at the club and everywhere else. He couldn't deny that Naruto needed to be in his life if Gaara were ever to make any use of it.

"If it doesn't get better..." he said, closing his eyes so that Naruto's heartache wouldn't sink into his own chest and change his mind. "If it doesn't get any better, I'll always be there for you."

Despite his sadness, Naruto giggled through his curtain of tears. "We've been joking about it for years," he said entwining his fingers with his friend's, "but I might have to take you up on that offer."

Gaara said nothing as Naruto lifted their hands and placed a kiss on the back of the larger one.  
-.-.-

"Sasuke, get a hold of yourself," Neji sighed.

"Shut your ass, Hyuuga," the Uchiha scowled.

Neji huffed in annoyance. From what he'd heard, Naruto was at least handling his emotions rationally by crying. Sasuke, however, was too busy shooting daggers at anyone who passed and lashing out at anyone who dared to say anything. After he got rid of his sadness, or what he was willing to shed in front of Neji, Sasuke had just evolved into the biggest asshole seen the world over.

"Dammit, Sasuke, what are you even going to do?"

Sasuke stopped what he was doing. That was, sadly, tearing apart his hotel room. The only reason Neji did not approve was because Gaara had taken Naruto into the room they shared willingly, and Neji was forced to sleep in the room with Sasuke.

Neji didn't get an answer.

"See? You done't even know!" the Hyuuga exclaimed.

"Then help me!" Sasuke cried, flopping to the bed. He threw an arm over his eyes and began sucking in air through rather harsh breaths.

Neji huffed out a sigh and sat next to his distraught cousin. "Sasuke, there's nothing you can do about what's been done. All you can do is try to make it right."

"How the fuck am I supposed to do that?!" Sasuke sat up and grabbed Neji by the front of his shirt. "I can't even talk to him because of this asshole!"

"Dammit, Uchiha!!" Neji shoved the younger brunette off of him. When Sasuke hit the bed, Neji bent over to hold him in place and scowl in his face long and hard. "If you really cared about Naruto, you wouldn't give a damn about the fucker who's blackmailing you!!"

Sasuke turned his head and sent a glare at the idea of the sorry ass who was doing this to him. "What am I supposed to do then?"

Neji got up and shrugged. "I dunno. If Itachi were still around, I'd tell you to talk to him. He was always good at the whole stealth and recon thing." The Hyuuga sighed as he stood up and stretched. "He's MIA now though, so I really don't know what to tell you. Just make it right, Sasuke." With that, Neji left the room to tend to whatever business he had.  
-.-.-.-

After what seemed like forever, Gaara had finally calmed his blonde friend down. To keep him docile and appeased, Gaara offered his PSP for amusement. When he heard a knock at the door, he nearly had a heart attack.

"Just me, geez..." Neji scoffed when he walked in.

Naruto looked up at the voice and gave a meager smile. "Hey."

Neji sighed. "How're you holding up, blondie?"

Naruto laughed and went back to his game. "I'm just peachy. Thanks."

"Did you need something, Neji?" Gaara asked from the next bed over. "I'm not rushing you out or anything, but I don't know how they're gonna react to a medium."

"Yeah I know." Neji make a brisk trip to his suitcase and lugged it out of the room. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye, Neji," Naruto said, back still to the door.

"Later." Before he crossed the hall into his new room, Neji pulled a tiny zip-lock bag from the front pocket of his luggage bag. He buried it deep into his pocket before depositing his belongings into the room with Sasuke.

"Where're you going?" the miserable heir called from his bed.

"I'll be right back," Neji sighed, rolling his eyes. As quickly as he could without running to attract attention, Neji got out of the building and made it around back to where the dumpsters were. A quick scan revealed that no one besides a lonely bird was there. Fervently, so as not to be seen, the Hyuuga pulled the package from his pocket and tossed it on the ground. Several stomps insured that it was crushed beyond repair. He pulled out some of the recording ribbon and ripped it in a few places, making sure to wrinkle it as well. When he was finished, Neji opened to little bag all the way and dumped the remains of the tiny video tape in with the rest of the trash.


	43. Latte

_look guys!! =D_ It's an update =) It would have been way sooner (a month ago) but there were some complications. Anyway, I hope you guys like it._

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Neji sighed to himself in honest contempt. Sparing a look, he caught another glimpse of Sasuke from across the room. The young heir had chosen to seat himself between Hinata and Tenten. Probably because neither of them would pick up on how shitty he felt.

That wasn't what upset Neji though. What threw him in a tiff was the fact that Sasuke kept throwing glances out of the door. The air conditioning had broken in the meeting room that the council had chosen, so they left the door slightly ajar. It was far enough to let a cool draft in, but closed enough to keep any curious listeners at bay. From Neji's seat, a fluffy tuft of blonde hair was visible. He was sure that Sasuke could take in the whole upsetting countenance.

Annoyed, Neji nudged Gaara who just so happened to be sitting on his left. Lee was still enthusiastically going on about what he had planned for the closing ceremony that night, so everyone else was either deeply indulging or just bored to sleep.

"What, Hyuuga?"

"What do you make of that?" the pale boy asked his comrade, lifting his chin in Sasuke's direction.

Sasuke just so happened to be pulling his worst case of puppy-eyes in Naruto's direction.

Gaara scoffed. "The greatest cover for _Dracula _ever."

"It is rather sad, isn't it?" Neji asked rhetorically. "What should I do?"

"The hell are you asking me for?"

Neji considered that. It wasn't like Sasuke and Naruto were the same person. They couldn't really be handled the same way. Each to his own, and all that.

"Well," Neji sighed, "you did get Naruto to chill a lot sooner than I got Sasuke to stop breaking shit."

"True."

"And we're both playing the best friend role here."

"Also true," Gaara remarked, taking in his fingernails from a distance. He needed them done rather badly.

"Seriously, Subakuno. Help me out."

Gaara groaned to himself and ran a hand through his hair.

"Uhm... I dunno... I just talked to my kid." A yawn escaped him. "He took it all rather well."

"What'd you say?" Neji asked desperately as Lee finished up his presentation of what would, no doubt be the ending ceremonies since Gai was the only presiding teacher at the moment. None of the others had shown up.

Gaara actually managed to chuckle to himself before stretching his arms up over his head, cracking his knuckles in the process. He stood as Gai began closing up the morning meeting.

"In all honesty?" the redhead asked.

Neji nodded.

"I offered up my services," the tanned teen teased.

Neji looked appalled.

Gaara barked out a quick laugh and turned some heads. Naruto dared to peek in and see who the hell besides him was able to evoke it.

"Seriously though," the insomniac continued, "I just made him remember that his 'better half' isn't all he has in life. Try it," he added as he walked out.

Neji saw him reach out to take Naruto's hand as Gaara approached the door. He also collected his things soon enough to see Gaara swing a giggling Naruto onto his back a bit further down the hall in the direction of the rooms.

A twang of jealously struck him.

"Hey, Nej," Sasuke called, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"What?" Neji asked, startled out of his stupor. He began his trek down to the cafeteria, Sasuke at his heels. Oddly, it reminded him of why he never wanted a pet. Far too dependent.

Sasuke caught up and fell into step next to his cousin. "Do you really think I have a chance at getting him back?" he asked, despondent. "I mean... Gaara's playing the best friend card, and Naruto doesn't seem upset at all..."

Neji sighed as the rounded a corner. The cafeteria was still a ways off, and Neji's stomach was growling straight into his ears. Sasuke's voice was just an annoying buzz that teetered on the edge of his mind.

"Even if you don't think so," the Hyuuga said, "there are other people in the damn world, Sasuke."

"Tch! Like who..."

Neji sighed in irritation. Surely Sasuke wasn't that dense. "Dammit, Uchiha, anyone would _kill_ to have you if they knew you were single. And Blondie... he'd probably see what he was missing when it was gone."

"Y... you really think so?"

Neji huffed out a sound of peevishness. "Yes Sasuke. Why do you think everyone freaked out when they found out you were really taken? Honestly... _Everyone_ was jealous of whoever it was when they found out you were serious. How base can you get?"

Sasuke seemed to lapse into thought, and Neji was thankful for that. They'd finally made it to the cafeteria, and if Neji didn't get his morning fix, he'd just be bitchy all day.

A latte.

He needed his morning latte. Anxious to get it, Neji got in the shortest line he could find. Jitters began to rattle him as he tapped his foot against the smooth floor.

"But, Neji," Sasuke started, "if everyone wants me, why doesn't--"

"Uchiha."

"What?"

"Stop."

Sasuke frowned and sent a glare right back into Neji's. "Stop what?"

"Stop irritating me with this idiotic nonsense," the Hyuuga huffed. "Honestly! How old are you? Sixteen? Something like that, right? Get a fucking _grip_. Alright, so you got dumped. It's not the end of the world, Sasuke. I've been dumped quite a few times, as I'm sure you know. I'm not pouting about it!" The line moved forward. There were only two people ahead of Neji now.

"Because you've actually been in love, right, Hyuuga?"

Neji let a sound tear itself jaggedly from his throat. "God! Sasuke, seriously! Shut the fuck up!"

Sasuke felt the color pooling into his cheeks, but he knew he shouldn't. It was morning, and he was bothering his lovely cousin before he even ate anything. He _did_ know that, but it didn't do anything to make the rebuff any easier.

"Fuck off, Hyuuga."

"_Sir_?"

"I'm in line, ass wipe," Neji chided. "You _followed_ me here. If anything, you should be leaving.

The burn of embarrassment stung like a current behind Sasuke's cheeks. Being alone hadn't helped him at all this morning, and neither had Naruto's blatant ignoring him.

"Look, Neji," Sasuke began, biting back all retorts that were stored on his tongue, "I know you're tired of hearing me. I'm sorry, I'm depressed... But it's really not my fault."

"Oh heavenly shit!" Neji exclaimed.

"Okay, really, you just need some caffeine."

"_Sir_?"

"No," Neji snapped back. "No! Really?? _Really_ you need to stop pussyfooting around this problem like someone's going to help you out of it. It IS your fault that this happened. And do you know why that is, my young friend?"

Sasuke didn't get a chance to respond.

"Because you're letting some random fuck you don't even know manipulate you!!" Neji snapped his fingers in a mock stroke of genius. "There might not even been a tape! Ever think of that?"

Sasuke's fists clenched and unclenched by his sides, and his face flushed red with anger. "Shut your mouth Hyuuga."

"Make me."

"_SIR!!_"

Neji turned back to look at whosoever decided to mess up his argument. It was the man at the register.

"If you could, sir, please, get your stuff and leave?" he begged.

It was Neji's turn to blush now. He ordered his latte, paid, and left. Sasuke was close at his heels all the while.

The young Uchiha had his mouth open the moment they were seated.

"I really am sorry, Nej... I really do need help though!"

Neji sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Blissfully, he took a sip of his latte and delved into it, disappearing in the creamy texture and taste of it. Within two minutes of Sasuke's silence, and the bittersweet taste of his latte, Neji had calmed down.

Sasuke still waited a few moments before saying anything. "Better?"

Neji seemed to wake up out of his greatest fantasy when he turned to look at his young cousin.

"Well damn," he deadpanned. "Sorry about that, Sasuke."

Sasuke shrugged. "What you said is true... It's my fault, and I suck..."

Neji rolled his eyes. "Don't guilt trip me. It won't work."

Sasuke blushed pink again. "I wasn't."

"And FYI, ass wipe-- I've been in love."

"Truly?" Sasuke asked, nearly bewildered.

"Oh yeah." Neji nodded, sipping in his latte slowly. "_Sadly, _it was you. However, I think I might be crushing hard right now."

Sasuke's face became guarded. "On Naruto?"

Neji nearly laughed. "It was, but I think I've found a new target."

"No way," Sasuke gasped.

"Oh yeah." Neji sent his friend a sideways glance. "You wouldn't believe me, so I won't tell you who it is."

"A woman?"

Neji did laugh that time, but, when he regained his sense, he deftly delivered a light smack to Sasuke's head.

"You really are an ass, Uchiha."

"But you _love_ me for it," the young raven chirped, a dumb smile lingering on his lips.

Neji scoffed and shook his head in amazement. He gently pushed his latte over and offered it to his younger friend.

"The hell are you giving it to me for?"

Neji shrugged. "It's better than smoking, that's for sure." A smile graced him, and he sat back.

"I quit thanks," Sasuke boasted. "That lovely friend of mine half way made me do it. So, yeah."

"That's why you carry cigarettes around in your pocket, right?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and swirled the latte with the straw it came with.

"That's just in case people like you ask for one," he said, taking a sip finally.

"Right..."

A pregnant silence fell upon them then. Gaara and Naruto had sprinted past one of the doors to the cafeteria. Apparently, they were headed for the pool given the state of things. Both were shirtless and carrying towels. The sauna was in the other direction, and Naruto kept swearing that he wouldn't let his friend drown going down the slide. They were definitely going to the pool.

"Bitch ass..."

Sasuke almost didn't believe what he'd heard. If he hadn't turned to look at Neji and seen the sour face he'd made, Sasuke never would have known for sure that they'd spoken the same thoughts aloud.

"You can't be serious," Sasuke said more so to assure himself.

"What?" Neji quirked a brow. He hadn't made the realization Sasuke had.

"You've got a hard-on for Subakuno?"

"What the hell?!" Neji cried, flushing and grabbing his latte to sip at it.

"Is that really who it is?" Sasuke inquired, a bit more boldly this time. He sidled up to his friend and put an arm over his shoulder.

"Sasuke..."

"It's fine, really," the young Uchiha assured him. "I just want to know if I'm right or not, that's all."

"Sasuke, please," Neji sighed. He seemed to deflate when Sasuke tried to jostle him around a bit.

"Oh come on, Neji," Sasuke urged. "Is it him?"

"Why are you so hell-bent on finding out, anyway?" the older teen asked. "Really, why are you so interested? You're not acting like Sasuke, Sasuke."

Sasuke shrugged. "If you two hooked up, they'd stop playing like they were the happiest couple on Earth, you know?"

"You think so, huh?"

Sasuke nodded. "Then I'd have another shot at my lovely."

Neji sat for a moment and let that sink in. He let it run through his flesh and straight to the bone so that he felt the statement throughout his entire frame. Earlier, Sasuke had said something that struck him as odd. Even during his crabby daze, he could still point it out. This was something that Sasuke would never said-- had never said-- unless it was about one other person. That person was his older brother.

"Sasuke," Neji called.

"Hn?"

"Did you mean what you said before?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I said a lot, Neji."

"I meant about loving him."

Sasuke's heart stopped. Had he said that? Surely not. Maybe something to imply it, but that was all. Neji wasn't one to prod, so Sasuke had to have presented it at some point when they were shouting at each other. Sasuke knew he loved Naruto. He knew that with all his heart, regardless of the way his lips betrayed him whenever he tried to say so.

"Why?" was all he was able to manage against the shocking question.

Neji stuck his tongue through his lips quickly in anticipation before he replied. He knew he was going to regret what he was about to do, but he couldn't help it. Here was Sasuke in need of serious help, and the only way to do that was to get him and Naruto back together. That would also liberate a certain redhead. Though Gaara would be highly pissed at his brief roommate, Neji wondered how long that anger against him would actually last.

"Neji?"

"Sasuke, I want to tell you something."

Sasuke gave Neji his full attention. "Alright."

Neji wet his lips again, this time pausing to make sure there was no sweat above his lip. He let the small, salty taste of it distract him for a while before speaking again.

"What if I told you that I knew what happened to that video?"  
------------------------------------------------------------------------


	44. Almost Time

my internet has been down FOREVERRRR... it came back up REAL quick last night at 2:00 in the morning_

* * *

_

_Chapter: 44_

"Sasuke, what the hell are you talking about?" Itachi sighed into his phone. He'd actually been sleeping when his lovely little brother called him, barely understandable.

"I messed up!" Sasuke stressed. "I messed up bad! Okay? I need to fix it!!"

Itachi sighed again. He'd been happily snuggled in his heavy covers talking, but apprently this was important. He sat up, groaning against the cold as he did so, and tucked the cover back around his company beside him. The blonde stirred and rolled over, wrapping delicate arms around Itachi's waist in an effort to pull him closer.

"What the hell did you do now, Little Brother?" Itachi yawned.

Sasuke swallowed past the lump he'd developed in his throat. He knew, had Itachi been awake, he would have flipped. That was why he made sure to call around eight in the morning. Regardless of activities, Itachi was in bed until ten.

"Naruto... he dumped me..."

"... _He _dumped _you_?" Itachi repeated. "How the hell did you screw up that bad?"

"I was being blackmailed," Sasuke admitted. "But someone just told me that the evidence is gone now."

"Okay, so what's the problem?" Itachi asked, snuggling back up with his blonde.

"Naruto's ignoring me..."

"Obviously."

"What should I do?" Sasuke whined. "You're supposed to help me. It's part of your job as the older one."

"Ugh..." Itachi drew the blankets back up around his shoulders as a second body melted into his with need for heat and comfort.

"Come on..."

Itachi yawned again, returning the meld with his lover. "Just tell him that you're sorry, and you love him."

Sasuke's breath hitched. "T...tell him what?"

"That you're sorry and love him."

"I can't do that!"

Itachi whined when curious hands began to trail through his hair and roam over his back. "Why not?"

"I just can't," Sasuke pouted. "I don't know why... It just won't come out..."

"Then you definately need to say it," Itachi said. He pressed a kiss to his lover's forehead to try and cool things down in his bed.

"What?!"

"If you haven't said it, and he's dumped you, it'll work." Itachi yawned one more time as he started to pull the phone away.

"Dude!!"

"What?" the older Uchiha whined, putting the phone back to his ear.

"How am I supposed to do that??"

"The best way you know how," Itachi concluded. "Bye, Itachi loves you."

"Seriously..."

"Have a good one, Sasuke," Itachi said, disconnecting the call. He looked at his sleepy lover, convinced that he was in fact sleeping, and easily went back to sleep. He'd tell Naruto about it when he got back from the trip. His baby blonde was having enough problems, apparently. No need to tell him about his new roommate.

In the hotel, however, Sasuke sat, moping, in his room. Neji was soundlessly sleeping on the other bed. After he'd told Sasuke that he was sure the tape didn't exist anymore, the Hyuuga retired to the room. He'd been catching up on lost sleep due to Sasuke's attack earlier when he'd first been dumped.

"Neji," the raven called. When his cousin didn't answer, Sasuke called out to him again. "Neji!"

"What...?" the pale teen whined.

"What am I gonna do?"

Neji yawned. "Call your mom and ask her."

"Not funny."

"I don't know, Sasuke," Neji whined. "Go talk to him."

Sasuke sighed on his bed. Talking to him was the obvious solution. Even if he did, though, Sasuke was sure he wouldn't be able to tell Naruto how he felt. He had millions of opportunities, but he'd still never been able to tell Naruto that he loved him. Sasuke's brain just couldn't process that request. It took too much heart. Without either of those, he'd die.

But living wasn't worth it without him...

"Neji."

"What the eff man??"

"I think I can do it," Sasuke nearly whispered. "I think I can tell him."

Neji sat up on his bed. He'd gotten Sasuke's since the Uchiha wouldn't let him touch Naruto's.

"No way in shit."

Sasuke flushed a brilliant pink before nodding. "I'm going to try. For real this time. I need to say it..."

Sasuke spared Neji a look. His face was priceless. The Hyuuga's mouth had dropped open, eyes wide and eyebrows just about knit into his hairline. After about ten seconds he shook himself out of it.

"You can't be serious!" he cried. "Really? You're really going to try it?"

"I'm going to _do_ it," Sasuke said, hard and resolute. "I'm going to tell him dammit."  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Later that night, Naruto was grumbling to himself in the bathroom mirror. "Gaara," he called out finally.

"Yeah?" The redhead had been watching TV. He was taking advantage of the time he had alone in his bed. Naruto wouldn't sleep by himself.

"Am I supposed to get dressed up for this thing?" the blonde asked from the other room.

Gaara yawned as he flippd through the movie channels. Sadly, only crappy romance and porn were on. He settled for some Discovery Channel. It was a special on manatees.

"Naruto... it's a dance. A high school dance. And it's not the prom or home coming. Just wear a shirt and pants, okay?"

"But which ones??"

Gaara huffed out a sigh. "Is this what you did to Uchiha? If so, I'd rather we didn't date."

"Ass," Naruto chuckled, leaning out of the bathroom to chuck a small shampoo at his friend. He retreated soon after. "We aren't dating."

"And I'm sure the world is still shocked at this," the insomniac declared.

"Anyway... what should I wear??"

Gaara gave the best response he could. "The only outfit you have left, Naruto. It's the only clean one."

The azure eyed boy in the bathroom smacked himself in the forehead. Duh. He entered the main room in his towel to get to his suitcase. Plopping into a seat on the floor, he unzipped it and began searching through his many articles of clothing. At last he found what he was looking for. Naruto pulled out the three pieces of attire and the accessories that went with them.

Gaara chuckled after he saw it. "Should've known."

"Go blow yourself," Naruto teased, a smile floating on the corners of his mouth.

"You're just jealous because you know I actually can," the youngest Subakuno retorted.

Naruto laughed aloud for that one. "You're such an ass!!" he managed in between breaths. "I'll be out in a second."

"Putting on make-up with that outfit?" Gaara asked.

"Of course. Why?"

"I'm gonna have to find a documentary on snails... I'll be waiting forever."

Naruto laughed again, reaching over to pinch his friend's side. He trotted back to the bathroom in order to undergo his transformation.

Not two minutes later did Gaara's phone ring.

After checking the name, he flipped it open. "Yo."

"Okay so... you're really going to be pissed," Neji started out.

Gaara sighed into his hand. "What the hell did you do, Hyuuga?"

"Don't freak out."

"Fine."

"Is Naruto there?"

"No..."

There was a pause as Neji readied himself. "Itoldsasukeaboutthetape!!"

"Hyuuga!! What the fuck?!" Gaara barked into the phone.

"Andtoldhimitwasgone!"

"Fucking..! Neji!!"

"What?"

"What? _What_?! I should be asking you _what_!!"

"Gaara... you should've seen him..." Neji thought for a second. "You should see him now even! He's hellbent on making this right."

"Well he damn well better do it himself," Gaara ground out. "I'm not giving him up just because Sasuke decided to grow a set."

Neji sighed on his line of the call. "Whatever. I was just giving you a heads up. Later."

"Bye... Hyuuga!!" Gaara called into the mouthpiece with a last thought.

"What?"

"Seriously, why'd you tell him?"

There was a silence on the other end of the line, and Gaara had to listen with all his might to make sure Neji was sitll there. Finally, he came back into existence, but Gaara could his the blush in his voice.

"Several reasons." Then Neji hung up.

Gaara stared at the phone after the call was disconnected, very much so miffed with Neji. When he was sure that he wasn't going to get a call back, Gaara got settled on his pillow-less bed and zoned out with his documentary. He was so indulged that he hadn't realized it when Naruto came out of the bathroom, finally primped and ready.

"Wake up, Stripes," the blonde huffed, snapping his fingers in front of his friend. "They can't be that interesting."

"Did you know people used to think that manatees were mermaids?" Gaara asked. "That says a lot about how beauty changes. We call them the cows of the sea now."

"C'mon, seriously. Let's go," Naruto whined. "I'm hungry..."

"Why do you call him Stripes?"

Naruto turned to look at the body of the voice. He was highly upset that he hadn't noticed someone there. It was just Neji sitting on the other bed.

"Hey," the blonde called to him.

"Tell me," Neji pouted. "I can't figure it out..."

Naruto sighed. "Well, there are two reasons. The first one is because he's got red hair, and he wore a lot of stripes in middle school. Like a tiger, you know?"

Neji nodded.

"And the other one is because of his eyes," the whiskered teen explained with a smile.

"Eyes?"

"Yeah." Naruto plopped down on Gaara's back, twisting the hair on his neck. "He's got raccoon eyes. They have striped tails."

"That's cute," Neji declared.

"Yeah, I guess..." Naruto leaned back so that he was stretched across the bed. "So, where's Sasuke?"

Neji started, taken back by how easily Naruto brought him up. "Uh... setting up I think."

"Why aren't you guys?"

Gaara shrugged. "We weren't asked to."

"Lazy asses," Naruto giggled. He sat up, jostling his friend a bit, and planted himself on the floor. "Okay guys, really. I'm hungry. Let's go."

Gaara sighed and rolled over onto his back. "I really don't want to. I'm actually kind of tired."

"Sleep," Naruto said with a giggle floating in his voice.

"And you call me an ass..." Gaar got to his feet finally and grabbed his little friend by the wrist. "Alright," he said, pulling him up onto his back.

"Leaving?" Neji asked from the bed.

"Yeah," Gaara sighed. "You can come too. I've forgiven you for that dastardly deed of yours, traitor."

"Oh, thanks," Neji scoffed. Nonetheless, he followed them out and down to the ballroom. Neji took a second to take in the picture that Naruto and Gaara had drawn together throughout their friendship. It was a beautiful scene. Both of them seemed so at peace when they were together that it smashed all of his dreams of ever getting one of them. Neji swore, that if his and Sasuke's plan worked, he'd never treat another guy like a tool again. He'd be lucky if he could scribble something that could even be compared to what Naruto and Gaara had.  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	45. Scream

lol yeah someone's been missing XD  
Really guys, I'm sorry...  
I've just been so busy in school... after this week though, things will be a bit more normal :D

So yeah, here's your story:

* * *

"Oh, Sasukeeee?"

Reluctantly, the raven turned to his caller. Tenten was approaching from the back of the room. Sadly, he was stuck holding streamers in place while Lee ran off to get the tape.

"Yes, Tenten?"

"I heard that you and your lovely had a falling out, huh?" the bun-clad girl suggested, sidling up to him.

"What're you talking about?"

"You know what I mean, Uchiha." Tenten looked around quickly before placing a hand to Sasuke's ear. "I know about Naruto, hon."

Sasuke felt a heat come over him.

"I really don't know what you're talking about.... Damn nutcase..."

"Uchiha..." Tenten threw an arm over his shoulders like it was nothing. "I have Neji and Lee in a very tight knit group. Do you honestly think everything they hear doesn't go by me at leasat once?"

"Tenten, really--"

"Sasuke, really." A smile eased its way onto her features. "I can even give you details, hon."

"I'm serious, Tenten," Sasuke sighed, trying to give his attention back to his streamers.

"_I'm_ serioius, Sasuke!!" She let go of her classmate and stamped her foot. "I really know!! Stop trying to hide it!"

Sasuke sighed through his nose.

It wasn't like she was a gossip or anything...

"Okay, so we had a tiff..."

"A tiff?" The Chinese girl giggled. "Who says 'tiff?'"

"I'm not talking to you about this." Sasuke huffed and turned to the wall.

"No, no! I'm sorry!" Tenten reached out and grabbed him by the arm, forcing him to look at her. Where was Lee?

"What do you want?"

"I was thinking that maybe I could help is all," she admitted. "I can tell he plays the girl... I can give you some insight!!"

Sasuke's eyes sunk back into his head. "You did _not_ just say that."

Tenten covered her mouth. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

Sasuke arched a brow and took in her appearance. She was all fright. A chuckle made it past his lips.

"It's fine. Just don't ever let _him _hear you say it."

"Oh..."

"Tenten, really, what could you possibly give me to help my cause with Naruto?"

Tenten sent him her best smile. "You could go shopping."

"He doesn't like me buying him things, really."

"... Damn. Aren't you lucky?"

Sasuke really laughed that time.

"You're ridiculous."

"Have you ever dated a girl?" the other council member inquired. "If you have, you'd know that we all like to get things."

"Well he doesn't," Sasuke sighed. The conversation was going nowhere. Lee really needed to hurry up with that tape.

As if on a bad cue, Sasuke heard the most disturbing thing he could think of at that moment. His heart jumped to his throat, and his stomach pitted in his pelvis.

"Hey! Hinata-chan! Let me have some cake! Please?"

There was Naruto, and there was Sasuke stuck holding up streamers. Luckily, Lee was finally returning with the long awaited adhesive.

"Well, Tenten," Sasuke sighed, "looks like you didn't help much really."

"Oh, ha, ha," she deadpanned. "Who are you waiting for anyway?"

"Lee."

"Lee?" She did a quick scan of the room to find him. He was still coming in the door. Naruto was at the dessert table. "Oh... Well... Hey! Naruto! C'mere a sec!"

"What the shit?! Tenten!!" Sasuke cried, his voice going through a few octaves. "The hell do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm helping, duh."

Sasuke tried to swallow past the brick in his throat, but it wasn't working. He felt his face heat up, and a terrible feeling started pooling in his stomach. It swirled to no end, and he was sure he would vomit.

"What's up, Tenten?" the blonde asked after he finally made it over to where the other two were standing.

"I was just wondering why you were here so early? We're still setting up you know."

"Oh, I know," the whiskered teen said with a smile. "I just didn't feel like sitting alone in my room. Most of my friends are busy right now, you know."

"…Oh… Alright then," Tenten said. "You can stay, just don't get in anyone's way, alright?"

"Sure," the azure-eyed boy agreed. "I'll even keep my hands off the cake if you want."

Tenten smiled then. "Alright, blondie."

"Thanks, Tenten. See you later, Sasuke," he added as he left them.

"Well," the bun-clad girl started, "he was pleasant… I was expecting him to give you the cold shoulder…"

"So was I," Sasuke stated, a dazed look on his face. When he was out of his stupor, and Lee had finally arrived, Sasuke pulled his phone from his back pocket. He opened up a chat session and sent a message.

_Sasuke: The hell was that?_

_Naruto:The hell was what?_

_Sasuke: You know what I'm talking about._

_Naruto: Sasuke, maybe we should just stop. _

_Sasuke: No! _

_Naruto: Yes._

_Sasuke: Naruto, I'm not giving up on you._

_Naruto: Well I'm sorry you're wasting your time._

_Naruto has ended the conversation._

Sasuke sighed in contempt. Now he was being ignored for real.

"Hey, Neji?" he called across the room.

"What's up?"

"I'm stepping out for a bit, okay?"

"Alright."

Sasuke didn't make it back for setting up. Instead, he moped around in his room watching The View.  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sasuke was happily back at home enjoying life with his cat when an unwanted visitor arrived. The harsh knock on the door woke him from his dream, and he was reluctant to get it. Finally though, Sasuke gave in to the pursuer's demands and got the door.

"Douche, come on," Shikamaru groaned with a roll of the eyes. "We can't start this thing if you aren't there, you know."

"Shit… Did I sleep through the set up?"

"I'm assuming as much, so let's go now, yeah?"

"Yeah, one second." Sasuke shut the door and advanced to the bedroom in order to change into the clothes he'd picked out for that night. Once his tie was in place, he draped his necklace on over top of it. He dropped his earring on the sink and was out the door with Shikamaru.

"I hope you know everyone is pissed."

"They'll get over it," Sasuke huffed.

"And Naruto is extra pissed," Shikamaru added.

"Why?"

The pony-tailed boy shrugged. "Couldn't tell you."

"Whatever..." They walked on in silence as they made their way to the ballroom where the event was being held. It wasn't a formal dance, it was just something fun. After it was over, they would have a closing ceremony that ended the trip completely. No one was really looking forward to going home.

"Hey, look who I found," Shikamaru said in jest as they stepped over the threshold. "He fell asleep."

"Yeah, yeah," Sasuke scoffed with a wave of the hand. "I'm very busy, you know? It gets tiring. But, I digress. Let's get things going, alright?" His fellow council members cheered and signaled for everything to start up: the lights, the music, even for the food to be brought out.

Once the celebration was in motion, Sasuke slipped out of the huge room and settled in the corridor. He slumped against the wall and grumbled in self-pity.

"Things to do when I get home: Number one, change my damn number... Number two, get everything ready for the next day of school... Number three, turn in all projects... And number four, give Naruto back all of his stuff... Gonna suck..."

"Can't be that bad," someone said from beside him with a smile evident in their voice. Sasuke jumped and quickly turned to see who it was. It was Tenten.

"What do you want?" Sasuke all but barked.

"Really, Sasuke, he looks miserable. Even I can tell that Naruto really misses you. Why don't you go make it better?"

Sasuke sighed again. "I've tried, Tenten.... I really have... I've got one more shot at this tonight, and if he doesn't take it, then I'm just screwed,."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "I'm not kidding. He really is miserable. Take a look," she offered as she went back to enjoy herself. Curious, Sasuke just had to peek into the swinging door. He easily spotted Naruto sitting in a chair by the wall. Naruto, his Naruto, was a wallflower. A freaking wallflower. He wasn't even talking to people. Neither Gaara nor Kiba were anywhere in sight, and Naruto just occupied his time with sighs and huffs of despair.

Sasuke made a pact to himself that he'd be sure to get a smile out of his adorable classmate at least one more time, no matter what. He got up from his seat on the floor and blew past Tenten, leaving her in the dust.

"Ru," Sasuke growled when he was within earshot. "You're talking to me. Now."

"Ah… okay," Naruto agreed, turning to look up at him. "What's up?"

"Why are you sitting her miserable like this?" Sasuke asked out of genuine concern. Naruto knew it was, but…

"Why not? Other people are sitting down too."

"Yes, but they aren't you, Naruto. You aren't a wallflower."

"Well, I don't exactly have a significant other, you know," the blonde teen said with a small quirk of the brow. "It doesn't bother me too much."

"Where's Gaara?"

Naruto shrugged. "With Neji."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

A silence hit them as the awkward tension started to creep in.

"Yeah so…" Naruto shuffled his feet and averted his eyes to the door.

"…I'll see you later, Naruto," Sasuke sighed, lifting a hand in a sad homage to a wave.

"Bye."

Sasuke sulked off and busied himself with work. He had failed horribly at cheering his friend up, and there was no way that Naruto actually enjoyed that talk. He probably would have been better off if he hadn't gone over there.

Back across the room, Naruto sighed. He scuffed the floor with his toes and took a look around the ballroom.

_**Heeeey, Buddy!**_

Naruto gave a start and looked around for a second.

_**Oh, Kid, **_the person in his head whined. IB_**Have you really forgotten me already?**_

_How could I?_ Naruto giggled. _Where've you been?_

_**Locked away in your brain.**_

_What do you mean?_

_**You've been happy. There's no reason for me to be around. Nikko either. He's not here now because you're more mad than anything.**_

_Bull._

_**No really.**_

_Damn... Well that sucks ass... Either I'm happy and lose you guys, or I'm miserable and crazy._

_**True... **_

Naruto sank down into his chair. The situation sucked. He didn't want to be crazy, but he knew he couldn't have Sasuke back. Not after all that.. There was no way he'd be happy again any time soon. Sure, there was Itachi, and yes, he was great, but he was too old to give him some of the things he wanted. Someone ten years your senior simply should not be your lover when you were in high school.

In a burst of anguish. Naruto let out a huff and lifted himself from the chair. Sluggishly, he made his way over to the dessert table and piled a plate high with cakes and cookies. The only bad thing about food was that he had to share a table with Sasuke since they were supposed to be roommates. Grumbling, Naruto searched for his name on the table map and was shocked to find that he was seated at table two, and Sasuke was at table six.

"God, he really hates me..." Naruto sulked as he sat and indulged in his cakes and he'd made it through two ecclairs and a brownie, Gaara had returned with a very embarrassed looking Neji.

"Hey, Blondie," Neji greeted, keeping his head down.

"'Sup?" Gaara added as he took a seat next to Naruto. Neji gingerly sat beside him. Naruto noted the tinge on his face.

After swallowing past another chocolate delight, he asked, "What's wrong with Neji?"

Gaara waved it off. "He's fine... So, Uchiha talk to you yet?" the redhead inquired as he stole a strawberry tart.

"Tried," Naruto pouted. "He failed miserably, though..."

"Hey, Hyuuga," Gaara chortled with an elbow to his companion, "we didn't miss it."

Neji just coughed.

"Really, what's his problem?" Naruto asked scrunching up his face.

"He's fine, really," Gaara stressed. "He's just... having an identity crisis."

"Now?"

Gaara just shrugged. "He was beat. He's not used to that."

Naruto swallowed the chocolate bile that threatened to spill. "Let's keep things on a need-to-know basis, yeah?"

"The hell are you talking about?" Gaara asked, bewildered. "I didn't say anything."

"Oh... Maybe I just took that wrong then..." Naruto dove right back into his desserts.

After about twenty minutes, Neji felt confident enough to speak again, and the three of them chatted until other people came to join their table. Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Kiba, and Kankurou were the other students sharting with them, and they were welcomed into whatever topics came up. Of course, some touchy ones hit after about an hour of eating, dancing, and fun.

"Soooooo," Ino began. Gaara immediately sent her a glare. He could tell by her tone that he wasn't going to like it.

"...What?" Naruto asked after her long pause.

"Why _did_ you rape Sasuke's mouth in truth or dare?"

Naruto frowned. "Why do _you _rape his ears with your lustful whining?"

Ino gasped. Everyone else at the table giggled.

Naruto continued. "Seriously. What would you have done if he kissed you, Yamanaka? Nothing short of die I suppose. Right after you ravished him on the spot, right?"

Ino turned up her nose as embarrassment wrote itself all over her face.

"T-truly though?" Hinata dared to ask.

Naruto shrugged. "Dunno. I know better than to act like that... It's not like I go around making out with every girl I think is hot..."

"You like girls?" Sakura interrupted.

Naruto looked at her like she was stupid. "Yes, Sakura. Of course I do. I'm not gay. Even Sasuke says so. In fact, his mom is quite the looker."

"You said you have a boyfriend though!"

"... Alright, picture me this: You have met one of the greatest people you will ever know. You two are great friends and you spend every moment you can together. When you're depressed, they pick you up; when you're being retarded, they knock you down; when you're really just sucking, they help you get better. And they just make you feel like the most special person in the multiverse. Period. And you're just so in love that you _have_ to have them. Wouldn't you want to spend eternity with this person?"

Sakura felt a tinge in her cheeks. To keep herself in check, she just nodded.

Naruto sighed. "It just so happened that he was a guy... That's all."

"Naruto," Sakura sighed," you're so lucky..."

He shrugged. "Not really... we just split..."

"Wh-why?!" Sakura all but shouted. "After all that? You're example was beautiful, and you aren't even together?!"

Naruto shrugged again. "For the best."

"Did he tell you that?"

"Nah..." Naruto took a few moments to eat a sugar cookie. "Anyway, enough about him. Where's your knight in shining armor?"

The pink girl blushed. "I don't have one," she giggled. "You know that!"

"Anyone in mind then?"

Kiba laughed. "You know every chick in school wants Uchiha, Porn Star!"

"Chick?" Ino repeated, very much so offended. "Porn Star?"

"Better than bitch," the ferral boy smirked.

"Why I never!!"

"I'm sure you have," he added with a wink.

"Ugh!!" Ino threw herself from the table and stormed from the ballroom.

"Geez, Kiba," Naruto huffed. "Way to offend."

He shrugged. "I don't _smell_."

Sakura sighed. "I'll be back. Let me go calm her down." She excused herself and chased after her friend.

Kiba yawned before slumping over to lay his head against his lover's shoulder. "Damn... This got boring... I already danced with _every_one, and I'm not hungry..."

"You wanna go back to the room?" Kankurou asked, putting his arm around his younger boyfriend.

Kiba spared a look at Gaara. The redhead returned a piercing gaze that could have killed him had it been fully unleashed.

"Nah," Kiba answered. "I can keep it up until it's over."

Naruto scoffed. "Maybe _you _can... I've been done with this for half an hour already..."

"Just hold out for ten more minutes," Gaara advised.

"What for?" the blonde asked suspiciously.

"It's your last day here."

"Ugh..." Naruto gulped down another ecclair. That eptied his plate. "I'm gonna get some more food..."

As he made his way back to the dessert table, Neji and Gaara watched.

"The hell is taking him so long?" Neji asked absent-mindedly.

"Seriously... He's gonna miss his last chance."

"Who ya talking about?" Kiba asked eagerly.

"Tch... Uchiha, duh..."

"What about him?" Sakura asked, finally returning with her insulted friend.

"Nothing," Gaara claimed, dismissing the topic.

"Well, Kiba?" Ino started as she took her seat.

"What?"

"Ahem!"

Kiba frowned in disgust. "Must I? Truly?"

Kankurou nodded.

"Fine." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry that I trampled your delicate feelings with general statements."

"Oh! You are such a cur!!" she interjected.

"Well! Didn't think I'd be hearing that from anyone but Mom. Good on you."

Ino just sipped at her drink until Naruto returned a few minutes later with a new plate of goodies.

Naruto noticed her when he sat down. "You're back?"

"How are you not fat?" the platinum blonde asked upon inspection of his plate. "That's like... you're fifth one."

Naruto frowned. "I work it off. You can eat whatever the hell you want if you actually do shit."

"Well I--"

"Naruto?" Sakura cut in.

"Hm?"

"What's got you so on edge?" she asked, worry evident in her features.

"Nothing... Am I on edge?" the tanned boy asked gingerly. "Sorry..."

"Don't worry about it," his pink friend offered with a smile. He nodded in return.

Naruto started cramming in the snacks as conversation once again became civil. He didn't notice that another fifteen minutes had passed before he was on his last brownie.

"Aw man..." he whined. "I'm outta food again!"

"Here," Gaara offered, pushing his plate over. It looked identical to Naruto's prior to his consumption. "I never ate it."

"Thanks, Stripes." Naruto proceeded to stuff himself with desserts.

Gaara was out of tricks after that plate was gone though. Either Uchiha hurried the hell up, or he was out of luck. Stalling Naruto was no easy task, and it wasn't made much easier with him being bored and somber.

"I'll be back guys," the redhead stated as he rose from the table. "Kankurou, watch him for me?"

His brother nodded.

After the confirmation, Gaara trotted off out of the ballroom. There, he ran into Tenten and Lee.

"Hello, Gaara!!" the boy said. As it would be guessed. He was in a green tuxedo. Nice.

"You seen Uchiha, Lee?"

"Sasuke you mean?" the green teen asked. "Yes! He was just down the hall by the bathrooms."

"Thanks." Gaara continued to make his way to the restrooms, and wasn't surprised when he heard mumbling around the corner. When he'd gained view of the next hallway, he found one Uchiha sitting on the floor, undoubtedly talking to the other through his phone. He was polite enough to wait.

"Really, though!" Sasuke stressed into the mouthpiece. "I don't think I can!"

He paused while he got a response.

"Yes... I know it is... But, honestly... when have I been known to be _emotional_?............ I take that as an insult." He sighed after a few seconds and looked up to see his fellow council member. "Hey, I'll call you back on the bus... Bye... What? Ugh... Yes, me too." He disconnected his call. The one he would make on the bus would be the last time he used his little Helio.

"What's up?"

"The hell have you been doin?" Gaara growled. "You know how hard it is to detain Uzumaki?"

"Aw shit!" Sasuke started as a memory hit him. "I totally forgot! Damn.. is he still there?"

"No shit... he's hellbent on leaving though."

"Alright, alright! I'll go... do it... now..." Sasuke felt that lump of cold despair his his gut again. He didn't like what he was about to do. He didn't know what would happen, and he didn't know how he'd live it down if things went wrong. Still, it had to be done. He rose from his seat against the wall and followed Gaara back to the ballroom. Once inside, Gaara stood back by the door (in case Naruto made a run for it), and Sasuke made his way to the stage.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi asked when he'd made it to the stairs. "What is it?"

Sasuke sighed. "Closing ceremony, Hatake. You know that's my job."

"Is it time already?" The silver-haired man checked his watch. "Oh... well, that was fast. Go ahead." He moved to the side and allowed Sasuke access to the podeum. There was a tiny projector that he could control from his post as well. After a very quick mic check, Sasuke got everyone's attention.

"Good evening," he said as neutral as he could. "Students, teachers, and resort staff, I want to thank you on behalf of the student council for helping arrange this whole trip."

Naruto looked up as Sasuke began his speech. Still, he munched on his sweets.

"As you all know, this is called a retreat, and for good reason." That got a good chuckle from the crowd. "Seriously though, I, along with the help of some of the other council members, have put together a slide-show to help us remember all the fun and relaxation we've had here. Please, enjoy."

The lights dimmed, and Sasuke started his show. "Something About Us" by Daft Punk started playing as the first picture came up. It was one of them getting off of the buses, but it was easy to point out that Naruto's bag had zipped open, and he was throwing a tantrum.

"Great way to win me back," he scoffed to himself. He remembered that though, and Sasuke had turned around immediately to help him. Which brought up the next frame. Sasuke had his own shoulder bags to carry, but he offered to take Naruto's mp3 player by wearing the over sized headphones around his neck, and he carried Naruto's toothbrush between his teeth by the handle. He even had Naruto's obnoxiously large sunglasses pushing back his bangs. He looked bewildered in the picture. Everyone laughed.

"Ha, ha," Sasuke said with a tiny smile as the show went on. The next images were of the first big activity they all had to do together. The first had Sakura being chewed out by Ino for insulting her figure. The second was of Lee congratulating Shino on his accomplishment. The third one was of one of the many faces that Naruto was making as people walked past him to get to Kakashi. Kiba was next to him in the grass laughing.

"Good on ya, Naruto!!" someone shouted.

"Heck yes!!" he called back. The next set of pictures was of the labor they had to do for not winning. But that wasn't the focus. The first was of Hinata and Tenten trying their damndest not to have an attack from laughing so hard. The second was of Shikamaru and Chouji doing the same thing. The last of the set showed what it was that had them laughing so hard. Kiba and Naruto had made a chain with themselves from one of the trees, and they had just spilled a twenty ouce of cola all over Sasuke. The room laughed again.

"Shut it," he warned, jokingly, "that shirt still smells like Coke."

The next few shots were of people having breakfast or just standing around talking. A few were of some pretty embarrassing things like getting your shirt caught in a door, or having Naruto or Kiba pants you in the hall. Once the garden pictures came up, though, people started cooing rather than laughing.

The first one was of one of the couples who actually had a long relationship. They held hands as the boyfriend handed his girl a flower and placed a kiss on her cheek. Another was an apparent sneak attack on Shikamaru's part from Temari under a tree where they'd been reading. The next had a picture of Lee forcing his best of buddies into a hug. Neji was not fourth had Gaara toting Naruto around on his back, but the last one was even better for the blonde. He couldn't help but smile when he saw it. Sasuke and he were just sitting out by the pond nearby skipping rocks. A sandwich was split between them, and there was a community juicebox that they shared. Sasuke was caught throwing a stone in the image as Naruto presumably watched.

Girls picked up on the wind factor, though, and noted that it teased their hair and tugged at their shirts. There were whistles and hoots.

"Alright girls, I get it, we're adorable," Sasuke joked from the podeum.

Pool pictures were next. Girls just wetting their feet at the edge were shown. Then, the effects that Chouji's cannonball had on them. People were playing chicken and Marco Polo. Sasuke wasn't around because that was about the time he and Naruto didn't see much of each other. Gaara was there, however, and there was a great picture of him getting dunked by the tiny whiskered teen.

Pictures of Sakura and Hinabi's party were next. Truth or dare was the main feature. Most of the dares were shown, but Sasuke and Naruto's kiss was excluded. Cake pictures came up, and so did dancing. Lots of group pictures were taken of big dances like the Cha-cha Slide and the Cupid Shuffle.

Finally, it started to wind down. Random pictures were shown of people just to get them in there, and other pictures were shown of random events. Gaara in his PJ's, Neji with his hair our at the sauna, lunch outside, Gaara carrying Naruto from the cafeteria... Finally, a big group shot summed it all up. It was mostly freshman and a frew sophomores. Naruto and Sasuke _were_ in this one together. Sasuke was content with just standing there, but Naruto had other plans. He had Sasuke tackled to the floor with the help of a few people, and Naruto put his foot on his chest just before the shot was taken with a "victory" sign held up. That was right before they were sent back to their rooms after the first activity. Everyone laughed again. "The end" came up, and the song ended.

Sasuke cued the lights and cut off the projector. "How was that?"

He got a large array of positive responses.

"Yeah? No one embarrassed? At all?" Another laugh resounded throughout the room. Sasuke scoffed. "Shit I was... Thanks, Tenten, by the way. Yeah, really needed everyone to see me half naked in the hallway."

"Welcome!!" she called out.

"Okay, okay, really guys," Sasuke went on. "This really was a great trip. Believe it or not, I made friends, and, if you couldn't tell, I'm a bit more lively."

He got another laugh.

"The accomidations were great, the food was amazing, and they activities were awsome, Kakashi."

"Don't be a kiss-ass!!" the silver-haired man called.

"Tch! Yeah right..." Sasuke turned to yawn for a moment. "Any way, I really do hope you guys enjoyed yourselves, and I hope you find the time to thank the other council members for setting everything up tonight."

There was a round of applause.

"Now..." The way Sasuke said it sounded so ominous, and the room got quiet. "Normally, that would be the end of this speech... But, quite frankly, I really need to address something..."

Naruto stopped stuffing his face and actually gave full attention. It wasn't like Sasuke to drag things out.

"Guys... I know you don't want to hear this, but I really messed up on this trip. Messed up my _life on_ this trip..."

"Is this about drugs??"

Sasuke chortled. "No, it's not. Good try though... Honestly... I lost my best friend over this break."

There was a collective gasp.

"I know. Me? Best friend? Lost it? Crazy." Sasuke took a moment to steady himself. A deep breath gave him the strength to keep going. "But really... I let someone else get in the way of our friendship, and now, he won't even look at me... Who here knows Uzumaki??"

Only seven people didn't raise their hands, and they were staff members.

"So that's basically everyone, right?" He waited for everyone to drop their hands. "Then you all know how great he is. He's amazing, really. He's pulled me out of a depression already, and he knocks me off of that high horse of mine every now and then."

The rest of the room laughed as Sakura's eyes widened. She'd recalled Naruto's words from earlier and sneaked a glance in his direction. He was staring up at Sasuke, his face hard and cold.

"He's helped me out a lot in my business, and, call me a sissy if you want, he makes me feel like I'm actually important. Who here can honestly say that they'd give up a friend like that just because another person said to?"

No one said anything.

"That's what I thought... And so..." Sasuke stopped and wet his lips in anticipation. "Naruto, just do me one more favor and stand up? Just so I can see you when I say this?"

After a bit of coaxing from his friends, the little blonde finally stood at his seat. He wasn't happy about the spotlight that was placed on him.

"Kakashi, omit my language..." Sasuke turned and made sure that he had Naruto's full attention. "Naruto... I'm an idiot. I'll admit that. I'm an arrogant asshole who can't handle his own problems, and I fucked up bad. Kiba warned me about what would happen if I ignored you again, and I did anyway. And _dammit_ Naruto, I'm sorry! But please... I'll only ask you once..."

He stopped then. It wasn't for a dramatic effect, and it wasn't because he had changed his mind. It was because he wanted to make sure that his best friend was able to absorb everything he was saying. After about eight seconds, Naruto nodded for him to continue.

"Naruto," the raven heir started. Butterflies were swarming in his intestimes. They bounced off the walls of his abdomen, and he was sure that if he opened his mouth again, a rainbow of wings would escape him. Regardless, he went on.

"Naruto... please... take me back?"

A shocked gasp made its way around the room before it was once again blanketed with a thick layer of silence.

Naruto braced himself on the table with shaky arms. He was expecting an apology. Not that.

"Naruto, please," Sasuke went on. "I know I fucked it up, and I know it's going to take a lot for this to be forgiven... but I need you..." He paused one more time. There was no more stalling. This was Sasuke's all or nothing moment. He'd tried countless times and failed just as many. Finally, that day, he was determined to get through it.

"Naruto," he went on, ignoring the ache in his stomach, "I love you."

One girl screamed.  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	46. can't

It is rather short, but I'm wrapping up for the epilogue. I needed to get them home and get blondy cleared away. There's only like... MAYBE one more before the epilogue. I might just merge them you know. Anyway, have fun with this one._

* * *

_

"No way!" Ino carried on from Naruto's table. "You can't be serious!! Not him! Not Sasuke-kun!!"

"Shut up, dammit!" Sakura hissed from beside her. Silence had graced the rest of the room.

"Sasuke-kun, Sakura! Sasuke-kun!!"

"Ino!"

"He can't be _gay_, he can't!!"

Sakura's slap resounded throughout the room. Ino was frozen in shock at the assault that her friend had administered, and slowly moved a hand to her cheek. "S-sakura?"

"Stop it!" the pink girl ordered. "Obviously you _don't _care about Sasuke-kun if you can't even accept him!"

"But Sakura!!"

Sakura proceeded to drag her friend from the ballroom again, slamming the large door behind her. It was a good thing their table was in the first row.

A murmmur buzzed around the room. Naruto caught snippets of what people were saying:

"Uchiha? I never would have pegged him..."

"I can't believe it!! Not Sasuke-kun!!"

"This is a joke, right?"

"This can't be true!!"

"I knew it; no straight guy can deny all that pussy..."

"King Pissy, and the blonde, huh?"

"No wonder they've been hanging aournd so much..."

"Naruto?"

Said blonde felt sick. It wasn't because everyone was talking about it. It wasn't because their secret was finally out. It wasn't because Sasuke had just publically humiliated himself in front of so many people.

He said it.

Sasuke finally said it. He'd declared his love, and they weren't even together. He had bared his feelings for everyone to hear without even knowing what Naruto would say about it. The thought of such a passion was what made him sick. He wasn't sure if he could handle all of that.

"You okay, man?" Kiba asked, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

The smaller teen nodded, taking deep, shaky breaths to calm himself. He chewed on his lip to steady his tremors, but it was all for naught.

Sasuke stood, gripping the sides of his podeum with all his might just to stay alive. His knuckles were white, and his teeth were grinding down. Worry was scribbled all across his features, and fire was swirling in his eyes. He refused to speak, deciding rather to wait for any kind of response.

Kiba continued to rub at his friend's back, trying to will away his nausea. Gaara just kept a hard eye on Sasuke as he slowly moved out of the doorway. He knew what Sasuke was going to say, but he wasn't expecting it to hit Naruto so hard. Neji just kept making nervous glances at the redhead, unsure of his movement. Neji was certain that Naruto would bolt for the door.

Kiba caught a glimpse of movement at the blonde's mouth. He hoped to every deity there was that it wasn't going to be vomit.

Instead, he saw Naruto's lip quiver. It wasn't until the third time that Kiba realized sound was coming out. It sounded like swiping dust from a shelf.

"Dude! Shut the hell up!!" the feral teen shouted into the room. The buzz became a hushed whispered.

"I... It's just..."

Kiba saw the tears before they hit his cheeks. He watched as his friend struggled for his words before calling to him. "Naruto?"

"C...ca..."

"C'mon, man, what is it?"

Naruto tried to swallow past the knot of cotton in his throat. That only made it stick tighter. He managed a strangled, "I can't..." before his throat closed up again.

Kiba was astounded. He stared back at Sasuke who was still standing in front of everyone. The raven heir had steeled his face when he'd heard the blonde's response. A sigh escaped him finally, and a dismal look took the place of his mask. He loosed his hold on the podeum and took a step back before slowly making his way off the stage.

Kiba gave his attention back to Naruto. His eyes nearly rolled out onto the table when he noticed he was standing straight again. Tears were steadily streaming, but he was up. In one swift move, the blonde threw a hand on Kiba's head and the other on Neji's shoulder. With a burst of strength, he lifted himself up and stomped a foot into the nicely pressed cloth. Pushing off, he launched and sent the cloth with everything on it flying out behind him. After a clumsy landing, he dashed to the door.

Sasuke stood shocked. He'd only made it halfway before Naruto was leering at his arms spread out in front of the exit.

"Please move," Sasuke whispered.

Naruto shook his head furiously. Dropping his stance, he made sure to approach Sasuke slowly. When he was within reach, he began to move a hand toward his friend. Sasuke slapped it away, staring at his shoes as tears pricked his eyes.

Naruto was only stunned for a moment before his own face softened. A smile graced him through his slowly dissolving sheet of tears as he tried again, this time reaching for Sasuke's face. He found no resistance as he slid a pale cheek into his hand. Sasuke moved his own over it and willed himself to look up.

"What?" he croaked.

Naruto managed a weak giggle.

"Sasuke... I can't _believe_ you just did that..."

Relief swept through the young Uchiha's being as the words sunk in. He broke into a smile that Naruto had only seconds to enjoy before he was ensconced in Sasuke's embrace. The raven buried himself into the fields of golden wheat below him and took in the scent that made his blonde so alluring. He squeezed tightly, making sure to press Naruto as closely as he could without crushing him. Naruto just brought his arms up between them to keep a distance so that he could breathe a bit.

"Thank you," Sasuke whispered into Naruto's scalp, turning him back and forth in his arms.

"Yeah..."

They stayed like that, Sasuke calming himself down, and Naruto accepting the tears that fell on him from the teen above. He didn't mind. They hardly heard the whistles and other things from the room's remaining occupants outside of their bubble of happiness.

Sasuke stopped finally and pushed Naruto back to arms length at the shoulders, looking him over. A smile adorned his face, and he'd stopped crying, though his eyes were a bit red still. Sasuke'd never taken the time to appreciate his outfit that night, so he did. Naruto was in a white button up dress shirt with black pants. There was a black belt, and a brown plaid vest as well. He wore a red tie down his front, and Sasuke was sure he had a hat before he jumped over the table.

"You look nice," the raven chuckled.

"Thanks," Naruto replied with a shrug.

"I meant it you know," Sasuke added after a slight pause.

Naruto just gave him a puzzled look.

Sasuke slid his hands down his new again lover's arms and clasped them into his. "I love you," he stressed. "And only you, Naruto. And I mean every part that makes you Naruto Sarutobi Uzumaki..."

"I know, Sasuke..."

Sasuke shook his head. "You don't know." Sasuke pulled their hands close to his chest, forcing Naruto to come closer. "You are _it_. Everything. If I lost Itachi's fortune or my own inheritence, I would be fine if you were with me. If no one else could stand to look at me, I would be fine so long as you were willing to at least scowl."

"Sasuke..."

Sasuke shook his head again. "No. I'm serious. I'd turn the company over to Neji before I did anything to upset you again."

Naruto stifled a giggle. "How would that help us? I'd be working four jobs..."

Sasuke shook his head once more. "I'd let you stay with him until I could fix it... I would still visit though!" he added as an afterthought.

Naruto finally laughed, full and hard. "It's okay, 'Suke. Really."

Sasuke let out a sigh of relief. After staring at the ground for several seconds, he looked up at Naruto again.

"I almost died up there you know."

"I know," Naruto giggled. "Sorry."

There was another pause as the room settled down behind them, and Sasuke got up his nerve. "So... everyone knows..."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed with a shrug. "They do."

"Can I... kiss you, now?"

Naruto stared at him in amazement before breaking out in laughter. When he noticed that Sasuke was offended, Naruto pulled him close and dropped the sweetest of kisses on his boyfriend's weary lips. Sasuke was finally assured that he had nothing to worry about anymore.

"Ahem..."

Naruto broke off and turned to the disruption.

"As happy as I am for you," Kakashi began, "we still aren't home, boys. Can we tone it down a bit? Please."

Naruto flushed beet red, and Sasuke donned a frown. "It's not like we're banging in the break room."

A scoff could be heard from behind Kakashi's shock of hair. "Touché. Regardless. Though I'd love to see this play out, I'm obligated to ask you to stop."

"Not a problem," Naruto offered before Sasuke could speak up. He grabbed his raven and dragged him back to the table.

"Way to be ballsy, Uchiha," Kiba congratulated once they'd been seated. "Didn't think anyone could so something like that... besides Naruto at least."

Naruto blushed again.

"Well, you've gone quiet," Kankurou remarked. "You've been hooting and hollering all night, what happened?"

"The embarressment is catching up with him," Neji smirked.

"Shut it..." the blonde ordered.

"Hyuuga." Everyone looked up to see Gaara approaching again.

"What's up?" the pale teen questioned in response.

"Sasuke took my seat."

Neji frowned. "That doesn't exactly entail that I hand mine over."

"Really, Red," Kiba added. "Way to be a douche."

Gaara rolled his eyes and sighed. He easily grabbed Neji by the wrist and pulled him up. In one fluid move, he sat down and pulled Neji into his lap.

"Piss off, Inuzuka."

"Well, well," the rough teen replied. "Sadistic as it is, you're no K squared."

"Indeed," Gaara scoffed. "I probably give it up a lot better than you can though."

Kiba faked a cough to hide his blush. Neji didn't bother an attempt to concceal his.

Kakurou snorted from beside his lover. He deftly planted a kiss on Kiba's cheek to make him feel better. "You're wonderful, Babe."

"K-kankurou!!"

Naruto finally let out a laugh at the table. "Kiba? Squealing? Damn, I've seen everything."

Kankurou let out a miserable sigh. "I don't think you have..." he muttered jerking his head towards the door. Naruto looked up to see Ino approaching again, Sakura quick at her heels. Apparently, the latter was trying to catch her friend before she did anything rash. And it would have been splendid had she caught her. Kakashi tried to step in, but Sasuke waved him off.

Naruto didn't even have time to register her approach before she leaned over him and spat at Sasuke. Within a second, she had a hand raised. It was sailing toward Naruto's face, and he wasn't moving. He was willing to take her anger. He'd stolen her only love after all.

That hit didn't came though.

Naruto hadn't realized that he had his eyes closed until he had to open them. He looked up only to find a very frustrated Miss Yamanaka's hand caught in Sasuke's grip.

"Let go of me right now, traitor!!"

"Traitor?" Sasuke growled. "Where do you get off with that? We aren't even friends, Yamanaka!"

"You broke my heart!" she spat back, acid dripping from her words.

"I never took it from you!" Sasuke threw her hand down in a fit and laid his hands to rest on Naruto's shoulders. Naruto was still sitting.

"Listen," he ground out as evenly as he could, massaging Naruto's shoulders to keep himself level. "I don't want you. I never did. Or anyone else for that matter. Get over yourself."

Ino balled her hands into fists at her sides. "You didn't even give us a chance!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "And neither did any other homosexual male any of you have ever met."

"But you... you're Sasuke! Uchiha Sasuke!!"

"The hell is that supposed to mean?"

Ino's face scrunched up in rage. She didn't have anything to say to that. Instead, she grabbed Naruto by his front and jerked him from his chair. Sasuke made a grab for him, but Naruto smacked his hand away.

"This is all your fault!" the girl screeched.

"I know..."

"How could you do this to us?!" Ino shook him a bit as she yelled. "What about Sakura? And Hinata?!"

"Hinata doesn't like Sasuke, and she knew I had a boyfriend..."

That last word seemed to set her off. "It shouldn't be like that!! It's not normal!!"

Naruto just let his head loll to the side so he could stare at the ground. He didn't really have a response to that.

When he didn't answer, Ino had had it. She reared back and lashed at him. Her hand left a brilliantly red print on his face and thin scratches where her nails had dragged. She stomped from the ballroom, and Sakura didn't bother to follow. Instead, she occupied herself with apologies to Sasuke and Naruto.

"Kakashi," Sasuke called, helping Naruto back to his chair.

"Hm?"

"She's suspended."

"Fair enough."

"Three weeks," Sasuke stressed.

"Four is better," Kakashi added with a nod.  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I really am sorry you guys!! Honest!! I even got Tenten to change seats with me!!"

Naruto laughed from his spot on the bus. "I told you it's fine, Sakura. It's not your fault," he added with a smile.

She still looked worried.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He just really wanted her to go sit down. "Hey," he called. He was in the outside seat, so it was easy to get her attention.

"Yes?"

"Really, Sakura, it's okay."

"R-really?"

He sighed. "Really. You aren't Yamanaka, and you can't control her actions... You can't, can you?"

"No!!" the pink girl nearly shrilled.

Sasuke allowed himself a chuckle. "I'm kidding, Sakura, really. It is okay though."

"... Alright..."

"So long as you don't secretly feel that way, that is," Sasuke teased with a devilish smile. He eyed her in mock suspicion, and she blushed. Naruto giggled by the window.

Sakura fumbled over her words a bit before she could get them out. "You know I like you, Sasuke-kun, everyone does..." She took a second to look at her feet while she got up some nerve. "But!"

"Hm?"

"I... I think I'm willing to accept it..."

"Well that's a lie," the raven scoffed. Naruto jabbed him with his elbow.

"No," Sakura pressed, "I know I won't right away... I know that... But I won't harrass you anymore, especially since you have someone who clearly cares about you more than any of us ever could..."

"Really?"

"Yes," she said as evenly as she could with a tiny nod.

Naruto gave her a thumbs up, and Sasuke sent her a small smile. After a second or two, Naruto pulled Sasuke back to whisper something to the raven. At first he didn't seem to like the idea, but appearently some sweet-talking got him to go along with it.

"Haruno, c'mere," the heir said with a motion of the hand. Sakura bent over to get her head into their seat. She was taken by horrible surprise when Naruto pulled her all the way in, actively flipping her so that she was sitting in their laps.

"N-naruto!!" she cried. "Let me go! I'm no harlot!"

Naruto laughed. "You're fine. Trust me, you'll love this."

Sakura was appalled, and a blush had spread across her entire face.

"Sakuraaaa," Sasuke crooned as he leaned in for effect. It worked since Sakura's eyes grew three times their size.

"Y... yes?"

"Who had your first kiss?"

She turned eight shades of red. "N-no one really. I never really liked anyone enough..."

All life seemed to leave her as Sasuke delicately pressed his lips against hers. Originally, Naruto told him to give her a bit more than chaste, but the girl looked like she would have passed out had he done that.

When he let her go, her spirit seemed to return, and she opened her eyes dreamily.

"There," he smugly stated. "Now, you can say it was Sasuke. The Uchiha."

Sakura couldn't speak. The boys helped her back to her feet, and Sasuke continued on to help her back to her seat. When they were there, he gave her a warning after she'd been seated.

"I'll be happy to tell anyone you want, so long as you know that there's no chance of an 'us.'"

"Absolutely," Sakura beamed. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke tsked. "Thank Naruto. He got me to do it..."

"How?"

Sakura couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Sasuke blush. His cheeks tinged the slightest of pinks as he averted his gaze. He leaned down and quickly whispered something in her ear before taking off back to his seat with Naruto. Sakura was still stunned from shock when Hinata showed up. When asked about it, the pink girl just waved it off as nothing. Once she'd calmed down, Sakura sneaked a look over the seat and saw Sasuke on the phone.

He seemed to be beaming with pride and leaned over to plant a kiss on Naruto's head. The blonde had taken the liberty to start reading Wuthering Heights since Sasuke had finished it, and he didn't even respond to the token of affection. Until Sasuke started whining that is. Then, Naruto puffed out a sigh and started complaining to whoever was on the little Helio. Suddenly, he shut up and turned red. Sasuke took the phone back and barked out a laugh before hanging up.

Naruto obviously didn't like whatever his lovely was laughing at and pushed him out of the seat.

Sasuke only stopped for a second before starting up again.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"How was it?"

"Oh man, Tachi, it was awesome!" Naruto exclaimed as he and Sasuke piled in.

Itachi scoffed from behind the wheel of his Jaguar. "Yeah, I don't believe that."

"Why not?"

"Your- now for the third time- boyfriend kept me well informed," Itachi explained to him.

"Oh... well that's over," Naruto assured him.

"That's good," the older Uchiha replied, looking at the boys in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

"Mhm!" Naruto added. "Now, tell me, why are you here, Deidara?"

The older blonde up front giggled. It was the oddest thing to Sasuke since his voice was so deep. "Yeah, Itachi, why am I here, un?"

Itachi pulled a face, so Deidara just smiled to himself and looked out the window.

"Naruto, love," Itachi started.

"Hm?"

"He's moving in with us."

Naruto was taken back and had to catch his breath. "Really? What for??"

"I'm his number three, un!" Deidara beamed, turning to smile at the boys in the back.

"No way!!" Naruto cried. "Really, Tachi?!"

Itachi sighed as he started up the car. He nodded.

"Sexy shit!" Naruto leaned into the front to talk with Deidara.

"Really, un?" the older man asked. "You don't mind?"

"No, no," Naruto stressed. "It's great!"

"Truly?"

"Heck yes!"

Deidara cracked the biggest grin he could manage. "Alright, Mini-blonde! We're going out first chance, un!"

"With what money?" Itachi scoffed.

Both of them looked at him with puppy eyes. "Yours of course..." they whimpered in unison.

Itachi just sighed, so they reverted to giggles again.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke interrupted, "but how is being number three a good thing?"

Naruto sat back to lean against his boyfriend. "You and I are numbers one and two, 'Suke. Number three is as good as it gets when dealing with Tachi."

"Oh..." Sasuke pondered that for a while while he played with Naruto's hair. "Oh!!"

"What?"

"They're dating!" Sasuke realized. "Ho-shit! Aniki's got a boyfriend!"

Naruto snickered from beside him. "Duh. Take a look into our future, Sasuke... Assuming we grow our hair out," he added with a chuckle.

"Oi, oi!! For how long?" Sasuke pressed.

Deidara frowned. "Just about a week now, un."

"And you're moving in?"

"Mhm."

"Anikiiiiii," Sasuke droned from behind him.

"What?"

"Can I have the address _now_ then??"

Deidara gasped. "He doesn't even know the address?!"

"It's complicated, Dei..."

"It seems pretty straight forward to me! Un!"

"Deidara, please..."

"Screw dropping him off, un!" Deidara pinned Itachi with his birdlike eyes and said: "We're showing him the house, dammit. He's allowed over, un."

"But I let him over!!" Itachi defended. "He just doesn't know the house number.

"He's gonna know it today, un!" And with that, the older blonde turned up his nose.

Itachi sighed miserably. Lucky him. He was stuck in a car with a bunch of whiny brats that he'd do just about anything for. He'd been working so hard on not letting Sasuke know the address, and now Deidara was making him show it. If he wasn't, Naruto no doubt would. OR Sasuke would just nag endlessly when he was over to get it. Itachi was caught by three people. Woohoo....

There goes freedom.  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	47. Life

Originally, this and chapter 48 were going to be one big thing. But I figured I should try to cut it off. The last chapter still isn't done yet. And yes, it will MOST DEFINATELY be the final chapter of Memories and Lies. Look for Confusion and Deceit about two weeks afterwards, okay? Sorry the first few scenes are so sporadic. I was just trying to show how life is for them at the moment. Mainly Naruto, really.

OH!! IInfected/I is an AMAZING book. So is the sequel. I suggest you check that mess out. for REAL. and Kiba's French. It means. "I love you!" and the other one is "Liar!"... I think :XD: I'm sorry if I got it wrong. please, inform me.

_

* * *

Chapter: 47_

"LOOOOOOVE!!!"

Naruto sharply turned his chair to receive his frantic brunette. The slightly older boy ran scrambling into the room to crash into the blonde's arms.

"What is it?!" Naruto hissed. It was December, almost New Years, and Itachi still insisted on stict moderation of the heating system. Naruto was not amused with his buddy's antics at such a time. Especially since he was busy.

"It's that friend of yours!! He hates me!!"

Naruto sighed. "He doesn't hate you... How long until you get over this, huh?"

"I'm SERIOUS!! He's hunting me, Naruto. Hunting!!"

Naurto sighed again, looking down at him in disgust. Grabbing his friend by the hand, Naruto proceeded to drag him out to the hall.

"What are you doing?! He's out there!! _Je vous aime!! Je vous aime!!_ Don't you CARE?!"

"Shut up, Kiba."

Naruto exited his room to find Sasuke walking towards them. He had his nose buried in a book, and his reading glasses were delicately perched on his nose. His eyesight had gotten worse since he began working at the club because of the dim lighting, so it was commonplace to see him bespectacled.

"Sasuke."

The raven looked up, seemingly just coming back to reality after being eaten up by _Infected._ "What's up?"

"What'd you do to Kiba?"

Sasuke looked confused and peered around Naruto to see the other boy trembling. Coming back he said, "I didn't do anything..."

"Menteur!!"

"Seriously, 'Suke," Naruto began. "What'd you do?"

Sasuke furrowed his brow as he thought back. He honestly seemed to be concerned when he didn't have anything. "I really didn't do anything. I've been reading all morning..."

"Kiba," Naruto deadpanned, turning to look at his poor friend. Kiba didn't want to take his eyes off of Sasuke.

"Kiba!"

"What?" the feral boy whined.

"What did he do to you?" the blonde ground out. "I was actually, you know, busy? With a project?"

Kiba scrunched up his nose. "Well, la-di-dah. It's not my fault you were busy with your new testosterone _all _week. _I_ didn't make you stay up all night with Uchiha instead of doing your project."

"Kiba, I'll kill you."

He just snorted.

"You know how my house works. If you're going to act retarded, don't stay the night."

Kiba blushed red and averted his eyes.

"Admittedly, it is my fault. I'll own up to it. But really, if there's nothing wrong, I have shit to do."

Kiba huffed out a sigh and slouched against the wall. "Fine... He's been following me all morning... That's why I said he's hunting me..."

Sasuke's jaw went slack and his eyes grew too large for his glasses. "I have not!"

"Yes you have!! You almost followed me into the damn bathroom!!"

"Prove it," Sasuke challenged.

"You followed me _here_, dammit!"

"He's got a point," Naruto chimed.

Sasuke scoffed. "Whatever... It's not like I want anything from him."

"He wants my body," Kiba stage whispered into Naruto's ear.

"I do not!" Sasuke nearly cried, appalled. "It's no doubt flea infested."

"Like I haven't heard that before," Kiba said with a roll of the eyes.

"Well, quite honestly, I'm not following you," Sasuke pressed.

"Dammit! Yes you are!" Kiba started counting on his fingers. "I was eating breakfast, and you came to sit next to me. I went to play Xbox, and you sat on the couch. I grabbed some chips, and you got some pretzels. You were standing outside of the bathroom door when I was coming out. And you just followed me here!"

"You're just paranoid," was Sasuke's conclusion.

Naruto nodded from his spot between the two. "I know what happened... He isn't paranoid, Sasuke, but he isn't following you either, Kiba..."

"What the hell!!" the Inuzuka shouted.

Naruto spread his hands. He found that it had a better effect since they'd grown larger those past months. After nearly a year, he'd gotten taller too, and no one wanted to be hit in the face. And, though his baby fat was just about completely trimmed from his face, he still had to same eyes that could pull any emotion he wanted. Right now, that was malice.

"Listen."

They shut up then.

"Sasuke... You do this... thing, when you're reading. So does Dad..." Naruto sighed as he went on. "If you start with someone there, you have this tendency to need the consitency I guess."

"What?"

"It's kind of creepy actually... You follow me around a lot, and Dad follows Mom everywhere; he hates it."

Sasuke scoffed. "Bull."

"Seriously," Naruto stated. "Why do you think I'm always there when you finish? I don't dote like that, love."

Sasuke went a bit pink and collapsed his glasses. They were the "flexible" kind, so they folded between the lenses as well. "Well. I'll just read in here then." He pushed passed Naruto and Kiba and slipped into the blonde's room. He quickly closed and locked the door behind him.

Naruto stared at the hindrance, fuming. "Heavenly shit..."

"...Yeah, so.... I'm just gonna go play some Final Fantasy..."

Naruto ignored him, putting his ear to the door instead. After about twenty seconds he pulled away and knocked.

"Sasuke, open the door."

"Inuzuka?"

"Went to play games," Naruto sighed.

"Truly?"

"Yes, Sasuke..." Naruto slumped against the door and gently knocked again. "I know what you're doing, 'Suke..."

Sasuke pulled the door open a bit and peered out.

"Why is everyone on my case?" he whined. "I just want to read is all..."

"Sasuke... I need to do my project, love. Let me in?"

"Of course," the raven crooned. "But I want something for it," he added with a grin.

"Not right now, Uchiha..."

"Oh come on..."

Naruto pressed two fingers to his temple. "Sasuke, I am so dead ass right now. I will gut you if you don't let me in right now."

Sasuke frowned as he pulled the door the rest of the way open. "Why?"

Naruto pushed his way in and reclaimed his seat at the desk. "I really have to get this done today, Sasuke... Iruka will have my dick if I don't finish."

"Lucky him," Sasuke moaned. He came up behind Naruto and wrapped his arms around the younger teen.

"The hell, Sasuke? You've been reading an action horror thriller, and you want sex?"

"Sue me."

"Cut it out," Naruto spat through his teeth. His skin betrayed him though as a blush covered his cheeks.

Sasuke took note and persued the subject. Squeezing Naruto a bit tighter, he said, "But I love you..."

Naruto groaned as he leaned back, only to find that Sasuke was hovering over him.

The raven relished in the view. It was true that Naruto was losing that feminine look to him. He even had the slightest blonde facial hairs coming in.

Sasuke loved it.

He expertly leaned down to plant a kiss on the pink lips under him.

"Not now, Sasuke..."

"Please?"

Naruto sighed one more time before he reached up to fondle the back of Sasuke hair, pulling his boyfriend into one more kiss before surrendering.  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Very good, Naruto," Iruka said with a nod after handing back his portfolio. "Your project was wonderful. Your knowledge of the human anatomy is uncanny."

Naruto blushed as he just nodded and took his seat. He pretended not to hear the whispers about his own personal Adonis to study.

As if his timing couldn't be worse, Sasuke happened to walk in. There was no point in knocking since the door was sound proofed. It would have been locked if something serious were going on.

"Professor Umino?" Sasuke called in, reading off of his paper. His glasses slipped, so he had to lift his head up in an attempt to let gravity pull them back on. He caught sight of Naruto as he did so and sent him an air kiss. Naruto blushed as the room chuckled at the token of affection.

Sasuke just smiled, giving his attention back to Iruka. "Sorry to interrupt, sir, but Yamato wanted me to pass out some forms to his other students. Three of his girls are in here."

"Yamato?" Iruka repeated. "He's got advanced chemistry blocked for first and second period."

Sasuke nodded. "Yessir. I was first to finish the lab for today."

"But you're a sophomore this year, aren't you? That's a senior class!"

Naruto could see Sasuke was turning a bit red at the ears. He was good at hiding his emotions, but embarrassment wasn't one of them.

"Uncle?" he called out, raising his hand. "Shouldn't we let him give the girls their papers? Like you said, advanced chem?"

"Oh, very true, Naruto. Sasuke? Go ahead."

"Thank you, sir." Sasuke then gave the girls their papers. He was making his way out when someone called to him from the back of the room.

"Yes?"

The whole back row was giggling when he stopped. It was hard to tell who, but someone called out to him.

"If you're really dating, why don't you ever kiss??"

Sasuke really did turn pink then. Naruto just slid down in his seat. That was what he got for taking another class with a bunch of girls.

Iruka just coughed from his desk. The girls settled down as he stood up.

"Right... Sasuke, I'm very sorry to ask this given the circumstances, but would you mind watching my class for just a second?"

"But, Professor, I--"

"Thank you so much. I really will be right back. I just have to drop these off to Ibiki while he's on break."

"...Sure."

Iruka ducked out of the room, shutting the door behind him as he went.

Sasuke waited a few seconds before saying anything. After taking a look arournd, just to make sure he really coudln't tell who it was that had spoken, he decided to have some fun. Squatting so that he was sitting on his toes, Sasuke folded his arms on Naruto's desk.

"What, Uchiha?"

"Do we really not kiss in public?" A giggle went through the room again.

Naruto couldn't stop the rosy color that adorned his face. "I guess not..."

Sasuke frowned. "I'm hurt, Ru..."

"Wh...why?!" Naruto cried. He tried to ignore the snickers from behind him.

"You won't kiss me in front of people..."

Naruto sighed then. "Don't be stupid, 'Suke... I kissed you in front of _everyone _in April. Remember??"

"But that was eight months ago!" Sasuke whimpered. "You're ashamed... You never liked kissing me in front of people..."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Don't even... You've been hanging out with Kiba too much."

"I just want one kiss from my lovely..."

Naruto groaned and covered his face with his hands. "Dammit all..."

"Do it, Naruto!"

The blonde turned around quickly to find out just who it was that said that. He found Tenten behind him with the widest grin she could muster.

"Look here, Bonbon!" Naruto raised a finger to assert his authority. "I'm not making out with my boyfriend just because you've got some weird kink!"

"That's hardly fair," Sasuke whined. "I do things for your kinks."

Naruto froze and went through several shades of red before he turned back to the raven with his glasses perched neatly on his nose.

"And it is partly because of me that you got out of Fox Empires... And you don't see as much action at the club... And you're doing well in school... And I always do whatever you want in bed.... And--"

"SASUKE!!" Naruto grabbed the raven by the collar of his jacket and pulled him against the desk to crush their lips together in the most bruising of kisses. "As much as I love you, shut the hell up!"

"But--"

Naruto cut him off with another kiss. Letting go he said, "I'm serious. You will never come over again! We'll move even."

Sasuke frowned, but he got up. "Well, Tenten... There you go."

Tenten turned to the back row. "I told you they really were in love. No one can put on a show for _that _long."

"Says you," the room's only male occupants scoffed simultaniously.

"See?" Tenten stressed. "They even think alike!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes as Iruka walked back in. "I'm sorry about that, Sasuke. Please, continue on with your business."

"Thank you sir," the raven said with as much courtesy as he could. He bent over to place a kiss on Naruto's forhead before leaving. "I'll see you at lunch, Ru."

"Ha, ha..." Naruto frowned at his desk as Iruka seemed to be beaming with pride.  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Mom!!" Naruto shouted from his room. "I can't find it!! He's gonna kill me!!" Naruto collapsed onto the couch in all his misery as Deidara approached from the kitchen.

"Oh stop it," he sighed, drying off his hands since he'd been scrubbing the pots and pans that wouldn't get clean in the dishwasher. "He isn't going to kill you, un."

Naruto sat up with a gasp of horror. "You're right! It'll be worse!" A thought approached him.

"What is it?"

"He's gonna break up with me!" Naruto cried, falling back into the pillows again. "Why? Why today?!"

"It's not that serious, Mini-blonde... I'm sure it'll show up, un."

"But what if it doesn't?" Naruto anxiously followed Deidara with his eyes as he took a seat on the bed. "He will _bury _me!"

"Did you really look _every_where? It's no wonder you could lose something in this dump, un!"

"Gawd!" the teenage blonde cried. He rolled over to smush his face into the cusions of his little couch.

Deidara rolled his eyes as he got up to leave. "I'll look for it... Just do your makeup, okay?"

"Really?"

"I'll find it, un."

"I love you so much," Naruto gushed as the older man left him. He jumped to the vanity and started with his applications.

"Babe," Deidara called as he walked back to his and Itachi's room. The Uchiha was in the shower at the time.

"What is it, love?"

"Naruto lost his necklace, and he thinks Sasuke is going to kill him, un."

"How the hell did he lose it?"

Knowing that Itachi couldn't see, Deidara rolled his eyes. "If we knew that, we would have found it by now!"

Itachi sighed as he cut off the water. He grabbed a towel and quickly ran it through his hair before wrapping it around his waist. It was a little too hard to tie the knot, and that was when he remembered that it was laundry day. Lucky him.

He stepped out in his far too short towel to retrieve the blasted jewelry. Without any delay Itachi made his way to the kitchen and pulled open the refigerator. He pushed aside a few items to make his way to the left overs. He looked on the top of one specific bowl of meat.

"Got it." Itachi pulled the thin accessory from on top of the container and marched to Naruto's room. "Here," he said as he tossed it to his young friend.

Naruto gasped when he saw it and was quick to put it on. "Where'd you find it?!"

"With the taco meat," Itachi said rather disgusted. "Make sure you actually have it on the next time you want leftovers."

"Have I told you I love you?" Naruto asked, dashing to the living room to answer the doorbell that had just rang.

"Everyday."

"I love you even more," the blonde called just before opening the door for Sasuke.  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was finally New Year's Eve. Naruto had been waiting forever for that night, but Sasuke wasn't so excited.

"Cheer up," Naruto suggested, thumping the raven on the back. They were up in Sasuke's room at the mansion waiting to be called downstairs for the party. Sasuke decided he wasn't going to have his own for once. He was stuck being forced to hang around with his parents' friends because of that.

"That's easy for you to say," the ashen heir ground out. "You aren't _required _to be here. I just made you come to keep me company."

"Well," the blonde sniffed. "It appears that I'm not doing a very good job..."

"Sorry," Sasuke apologized. "I'm just having a bad night. I really don't want to be here."

"There, there," Naruto cooed, taking a seat on the bed next to his Uchiha. "It'll be fine."

Sasuke just scoffed.

"Really," Naruto stressed. He pushed in through Sasuke's personal bubble to plant a kiss on his cheek.

Sasuke turned into it so that he could maybe get something a bit better.

"Sasuke," Naruto huffed. "Come on... It's almost time to go down..."

"Please?"

Naruto rolled his eyes before leaning close again to offer up a bit more with his kiss. When their tongues met, he felt a tug that pulled him deeply into a whirlpool of ecstasy, and Naruto didn't have it in him to pull away. When he had a chance to breathe, he took it.

"Sasuke," he whined. "You know I have that problem now... You can't keep doing this to me..."

"It's not my fault your body is confused," the raven replied, offended. "If you dislike it so much, just say so."

"Oh, come on!" Naruto groaned as he pressed a fist against his forehead. "You know better than that, Uchiha."

Sasuke scoffed. "I didn't tell you to turn into a rolling ball of hormones."

"Can you honestly say you don't like it better like this?" Naruto sighed.

"I can."

Naruto rolled his eyes. With a careful push, he forced Sasuke back on the bed. Coving his lover's body with his own, the blonde decided to tease him.

"Are you sure?" he cooed. "Now that I'm so tall? And flexible? And now there's more to cuddle and grab onto? Do you really mean that, Uchiha?"

Sasuke turned away. "You're an ass, Uzumaki."

"You love me for it though," Naruto chuckled. He droppd a kiss on Sasuke's jaw and pushed himself up. "Come on, we need to go downstairs soon. You know that."

Sasuke sighed as he sat up. He tucked his bangs back behind his ear again and flattened the rest of his hair swiftly. "You know I really don't want to do that..."

Just then the intercom buzzed.

"SASUKE!" his father roared through the little box. Naruto jumped, and Sasuke just sighed.

Walking over and pushing the button he said, "Yes, father?"

"Get your pansy ass down here! NOW!"

"Fugaku..." Sasuke's mother called in the background.

"Pansy?" Sasuke repeated. "Since when?"

"Since Saurtobi told me about your little boyfriend. And that little _job_ you've taken up!!"

"Excuse me, father, but really, I don't--"

"NOW!!"

Sasuke sighed as he turned away from the box. "Well. This is just peachy."

"Sarutobi?" Naruto asked. "Like... Orochimaru?"

Sasuke's breath caught. "Fuck. I didn't think of that... God... Dammit all to hell!"

"Sasuke..."

"I'm not going down there," the young raven hissed through clentched teeth. "I'm not going to let him humiliate me in front of everyone like that. No way."

Naruto sighed. "If you paid any attention, you'd see that he called from the library, Sasuke. He isn't trying to make a fool out of you."

Naruto stood beside the heir and nudged him. "Besides, didn't you hear your mom? She was trying to calm him down. I'm sure you'll be fine."

A loud crash was heard from downstairs then.

"Fuck that," Sasuke huffed. "I'm locking the door and calling it a day."

Naruto let out a rugged sigh and started for the door. "Fine. I'll go down and tell him them."

"...Or you could use the intercom and talk to him like that if you want to keep your head."

Naruto rolled his eyes as he shut the door behind him. Sasuke, still very unwilling to face his father at such a time, dropped onto the bed. He laid on his belly and rested his chin atop one of his many pillows.

Having a boyfriend was one thing. Telling your friends was another. Your father finding out? That was a problem. A big problem. That was a problem that Sasuke didn't want to face at any time in his life. He knew his parents would find out someday, but he didn't want it to be from his "pimp."

Which brought up another issue. They really didn't need to know that he was semi-whoring himself out. Whoring because he was working at that dreaded club. Semi simply because he didn't actually have sex with anyone. Not Naruto, not Orochimaru-- no one. Itachi made sure of that. Sasuke didn't even have to give his brother some token of affection whenever they met either.

Regardless, just having that title was bad. He didn't need it going around. Especially in the business world. Businessmen and businesswomen were ruthless, cutthroat people. As soon as it got out that someone in the Uchiha family was a homo and a whore it'd spread like rapid fire. Then he'd be blamed for it and disowned by his father.

That wasn't really so bad though. What worried him was how he'd support Naruto. He squeezed his pillow just thinking about it. Even though they were only sophomores then, he'd been working on what he'd do once they were out of school. Ever since the new academic year started, he'd been looking into colleges. Sasuke knew that he was going to go. He planned on taking Naruto with him though. Of course, his little blonde wouldn't be able to pay for it, but Sasuke could. Without the company, he would have to kiss that goodbye.

He was also going to pose adoption to his special friend once they were out. Kids were something that Sasuke had always wanted. He knew it would never happen naturally, and he didn't want a surrogate. He just didn't like the idea of offering up part of himself to someone other than his lover in order to produce happiness. It shouldn't be that way really. Not for him anyway.

Sasuke was still wallowing hopelessly in his sorrow when he heard Naruto call out to him from downstairs.

"Sasuke! Sasuke!! Get down here! NOW!"


	48. End

Well my readers... this is it. It's finally the last chapter... There is no epilogue-- Memories and Lies is OVER.  
Please keep an eye out for Confusion and Deceit. When it's actually finished I'll put a link at the end of this. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this one.  
WARNING: Character harm and angst...f  
And it wasn't run through spell check.  
-----------------------------------------------

When Naruto screamed, Sasuke was out the door and in the grand entrance in less than ten seconds. His whole trip down though, all he could here was commotion. Screaming and the shattering of glass, the breaking of objects.

Cracks... Bangs... Thuds... Shrieks filled the air until he reached the entrance way of the house. Though there was still a commotion, Sasuke's ears were deaf to everything but his pulse thrumming in his head.

The sight that met him was something that no one should ever have to behold. As Sasuke ran through the hall to find Naruto, he couldn't help but take in the tragic horrors that surrounded him. It started off with just smashed glass and valuables littering the floor, but the scene gradually changed. The shards of gass and splinters of wood that were scattered about began to get darker and darker. It wasn't until closer inspection revealed the tiny spatters of blood that Sasuke understood the situation. Everywhere he looked, frames were knocked off the walls, earrings were dropped on the carpet. When he reached the drawing room things escalated a bit.

All the paintings were smashed or torn. Family portraits were shattered and ripped. That wasn't what had Sasuke holding back the bile in his stomach, however. What stopped him in his tracks was the sight of an older woman. She wasn't moving, but her face was turned to him. The unyielding gaze that she had on him kept the young heir immobilized. It took time to accept, but deep down Sasuke could feel it. Maybe it was her pale complexion. Maybe it was the fact that she was sprawled across the floor in a heap of expensive material. Maybe it was the sight of her mangled limbs, bent at impossible angles. Maybe it was the glassy look of her eyes.

Whatever it was that was telling him, Sasuke knew for sure... The woman was dead.

And she wasn't the only one. A quick look around the room revealed that other guests were in very similar states. They may have looked different, and their injuries may not have all been the same, but they were all gone from this world.

"Don't you dare!"

Sasuke snapped out of his silent hysteria when he heard a familiar voice shout in such authority. Finally able to get a grasp on reality, he continued to race through the house. The sights he passed were no better, if not worse, than the one he had seen in the drawing room, but he was able to turn away and press on to where he'd heard his brother.

"Itachi!!" Sasuke shouted upon seeing him in the library. "Itachi! What's going on?!"

"Go to mother's room, quickly!" the older Uchiha ordered as he dashed past his younger sibling. He'd taken care of all of the enemies in the library. There a body was limp against a bookshelf. "They took Naruto there… Go to him!"

Sasuke was only stunned for a few seconds before his developed instinct to protect the younger teen kicked in. Not even going to take the front stairs, Sasuke took the back, and much quicker, way to his mother's room. The staircase that he bounded seemed endless. He felt as though his heart was going to tear against his ribs as he thudded up the steps. Finally, he managed to make it. He wrenched open the door to the most disturbing sight he'd seen by far. Naruto was on the floor at the foot of the bed, staring down the barrel of a nine millimeter. The bearer of the weapon was a man covered in bandages.

The man swiveled his aim over to Sasuke. "You aren't Uchiha!!"

"I am!" Sasuke shouted. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"The hell do you care?!"

"That's my fucking business!" The bandaged man seemed taken aback, so Sasuke took the chance to make a order. "Drop your damn gun!"

The man was startled back from the quick order. "Where do you get off?!"

Naruto looked on as they argued back and forth. It suddenly clicked that he was actually being ignored. Taking advantage of the situation, he reached out with his right foot and knocked the man on his back after sweeping under his feet. In a fit of rage, the assailant pulled back the hammer and squeezed the trigger of his gun. Naruto howled as his thigh was punctured and passed through in a searing tear.

Enraged, Sasuke kicked the gun from the man's hand. He grabbed him by the front of his shirt and slammed his head into the ground. Words didn't escape him, only swears and promises to extend his abuse. A hand on the distraught heir's shoulder stopped him.

"Enough!"

Sasuke swung his glare to his brother who was kneeling beside him. "It's not!"

Seeing the pain on his little brother's face, taking in the sorrow that emitted from his form, Itachi pulled him into a quick hug. "It is. Mercy is important, Little Brother."

"He shot _Naruto_!" Sasuke lifted from his brother's embrace in a flurry. "Naruto! Are you alright?!"

Naruto chuckled from his spot on the floor. "Of course not, asswipe."

"Is it awful?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not really… I don't think I can walk though."

Itachi nodded in agreement. "I don't want you walking… Sasuke! Go find Kisame! He's trained for this kind of thing."

"Why can't—"

"Now, Sasuke!!"

Startled by the heavy emotion in Itachi's voice, Sasuke dashed from the room in search of the tall man.

"I swear I'll kill him," Itachi growled once his brother was out of earshot. He then proceeded to drag the unwelcome man out of the room.

Naruto sighed as he repositioned himself. Trying not to jar his leg, he tore several strips of fabric from the sheets on the bed above. Wincing through the pain, he tied off his leg, above the wound. With the remaining strips, he tried to bandage himself up. When Itachi returned, Naruto spoke.

"With everything that's going on, you're worried about me?"

"So is Sasuke."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "He's supposed to be."

"Honestly, Naruto," Itachi scolded. He held his gun close and checked around the room. "Now is not the time to play coy."

Naruto scoffed. "Then leave me here, and go find your parents. Sasuke will come back."

Itachi had a dubious look stapled on his countenance.

"I'm damn serious, Itachi. Now go." When the Uchiha didn't move, Naruto kicked at him with his good leg. "Get out!!"

Itachi grumbled, but he made it to his feet. He stood in the doorway until he saw Sasuke returning with Kisame. Once the other two had finally entered the room, Itachi took off down the hall headed toward where he still heard gunshots.

"The hell, Naruto?!" the man growled when he entered.

"I'm alright..."

"You're a damned liar!" Kisame crouched down near Naruto and inspected the wrapping job he'd done on his leg. "Well, I guess you're learning _something _in that hospital..."

While his scary friend was busy, Naruto took the time to address Sasuke.

"What?" was the raven's meak reply.

"Sasuke... I know you're scared, and upset, and you don't want to, but you have to go."

"The hell I do!!"

The blonde sighed through his nose. "Sasuke, think about it. Are you really more worried about me or your parents?"

A hurt noise wriggled itself from deep in Sasuke's chest. He didn't want to admit it, but his parents were still his parents. They always left him yearning for something from his heart, but they were still his primary family. They'd given him life and everything he had in it.

"It's okay, Sasuke," Naruto promised from his spot on the floor. "_I'm_ okay, so go..."

"But--"

"Take this," Kisame ordered, pulling a pistol from his waistband. Sasuke never held a gun before, and he wasn't ready to try it. "I said take it, ya damn pansy!!"

Truly frightened, Sasuke reached out and grabbed the deadly little machine.

"Listen," Kisame started in his natural voice of authoriy. "The safety is _on_. It won't fire until you turn it _off_. Make sure you take it _off_."

Sasuke nodded, but he really hadn't caught most of what the man had told him. After a quick demonstration of how to properly use the tiny weapon, Sasuke sent Naruto a longing look.

"What?"

"A-are you sure that they're still..."

It took a second, but Naruto understood the question as if it were a billboard flashing three feet in front of him. "I couldn't tell you, Sasuke..."

The young Uchiha swallowed as he slowly made his way to the door. He had his gun out, ready in front of him when he reached the hall.

"Sasuke," Kisame called, a grim tone clearly hanging from his hooklike teeth.

"Y-yeah?"

"I won't lie to you. You're father is already dead."

Sasuke couldn't breathe. He dropped to his knees, and his heart jumped to his throat. He thought he would throw it up as the grief engulfed his entire being. His chest felt tight, and he couldn't breathe. Somewhere in his gut he could feel a dagger twisting around his insides.

"Itachi was too late, and he was one of the first people gunned down since he was alone in the library... But your mother is still running around out there somewhere," the sinister man added, sending a glimmer of hope into the young man who'd just gotten his inheritence. "Find her."

Sasuke merely nodded before getting up on shaky legs. He thought he'd collapse at any moment as he took off down the hall. He heard horrible squishing noises as he ran, and he felt liquids ooze up from the carpet with each step. He didn't have it in him to actually look and see what it was, though he could have guessed. He just chewed his tongue to distract himself as he kept searching for his mother.

Sasuke ducked into rooms, trudged down hallways.. No matter where he went though, he couldn't find her. He still heard gunshots in the distance, so at least he knew there was a chance that she was still alive. If she was being shot at, she wasn't dead. He chased away the thought as he took another turn. That one led him to a dead end, so he turned as quickly as he could to continue his search. He nearly tripped over his own two feet when he saw someone standing there in his way.

"The hell do you think you're going?" she asked.

Sasuke scrambled to his feet and pointed his gun directly at her.

"Ooh... So scared!" she mocked. "Oh! I have one too!" she giggled as she pulled out her own gun.

Sasuke was shocked to see that it was an automatic.

"You like it?"

"D-don't toy with me!!" Sasuke screeched.

"Oh wow... looks like the littlest Uchiha is horrified."

A growl built itself up in his chest. He was already hurting. His mind wasn't very stable at the moment, and he was on a mission. He didn't need some snot-nosed ass in his face.

"Is that so?"

Sasuke hadn't realized that he'd said anything aloud.

"Well, since you're so disturbed, why don't we just end you here, hm?"

Sasuke snapped then. Quite frankly, he was going to find his mother before anything happened to him, her, or the baby. He pulled back on the hammer and fired his weapon.

He was amazed that she was still standing.

"Tsk, tsk..." She waggled a finger at him. "Safety still on, shithead? That's too damn bad." A sinful sneer marred his face in contrast with the pink locks of hair that fell down. She took aim, and Sasuke couldn't do anything but squeeze his eyelids tightly against the fate he knew was coming. He saw a quick screenplay of his life before him in his private theater of darkness. When he first met Naruto... the time he caught Itachi on the balcony... His first party... His first punishment... His first trophy... His first kiss...

He heard a gunshot and felt the hot spray of blood on his face before everything went silent.

He opened his eyes.

He was still alive.

Sasuke looked up to find the girl with shocked eyes and her mouth wide open. There was blonde dripping from the tiny hole in her forehead, and Sasuke was so stunned that he almost didn't move out of the way before her body collapsed on top of him.

"Get up.. you damn pansy..."

Sasuke was fed up with hearing people call him that. "I'm not a pansy!"

Sasori rolled his eyes. "Then get up, turn off your safety, and do someting, ass."

Though he knew Sasori was much older, Sasuke couldn't stand the idea of someone who seemed to be about fourteen looking down on him. Muttering to himself, Sasuke took off the safety and readied himself. Sasori rolled his eyes one more time before taking off back down the hall. Sasuke went the other way to continue the search for his mother. Sasuke simply wanted to die when he did find her.

It was worse than when he had found the first woman downstairs. It was worse than when Naruto was shot. It was even worse than having someone's dead blood all over his face.

Mikoto was being held at gunpoint. Not only that, the gun was aimed straight at the prominant bulge in her belly. Sasuke couldn't help but cry just thinking of what could happen. He watched painstakingly as she slid down the wall to beg the man holding the firearm to leave her be.

Sasuke snapped back into reality when he heard her shriek.

"Leave her the hell alone!" he shouted, charging in.

"Sasuke!" She noted his state. He was covered in blood, looked deranged, and had a gun in his hand. Mikoto fainted on the spot.  
-.-

"I said drop it, Sarutobi!!" Itachi shouted at the sinister man. Orochimaru had snaked his way passed any barriers that Itachi had put up to protect the wounded Naruto. Now, he was holding him captive.

"Or what?" Orochimaru hissed. "I know you won't shoot me. My reflexes are untouchable. He'd be dead before I was."

"I won't warn you again, ass," Itachi ground out as he pulled back the hammer. "Let him go."  
-.-

"Sasuke? I didn't think you'd be here."

Sasuke sent his attention to the gun holder. He was astonished to find that it was his own classmate.

"K-kabuto?!"

"Hey there," he said with a cheery smile and a wave. "So sorry you had to catch me like this."

"The hell are you talking about?! You've got my mother at gunpoint!"

"That's the thing. She should be dead already."

Sasuke froze.

"See," Kabuto continued, as a sigh escaped him, "quite honestly, I was supposed to finish her off as soon as we got here. I'm afraid it just wasn't in me at the time."

"S-so why are you still--"

"Oh, I've been ready to do it," Kabuto scoffed. "She's just been telling me reasons why I shouldn't pull the trigger is all."

"Then don't fucking do it!!"

Kabuto sighed. "Look, really, I am sorry. Feel free to leave if it makes you feel any better."

Sasuke was frozen in place. He was really going to do it. With him there.

Sasuke threw up.  
-.-

Orochimaru sent a snicker in Itachi's direction. He deftly placed the barrel of the gun under Naruto's jaw. Leaning down, his abnormal tongue slithered out and flicked the blonde's ear.

Naruto couldn't help cursing himself for even getting caught in the first place. How stupid was he to let his guard down long eough to be captured. He pulled away as best as he could when the tongue flicked out at his earlobe.

Itachi couldn't stop the heated growl that rippled out from his chest. It would be terribly difficult to even make a shot at the pale male who was currently molesting his little friend. Orochimaru did have good reflexes. Amazingly fast. He really was a cold blooded snake at heart. He could slither and dodge everything. Itachi felt sweat as it beaded on his forehead. Either he risked Naruto by shooting the other bastard, or he risked Naruto by not doing a damned thing.

It wasn't until then that Itachi realized Orochimaru had been droning on about how superior he was. The Uchiha's blood began to boil as he watched a pale hand make its way over Naruto as if he belonged to it. His finger itched to pull back on that trigger and just stop the offending appendage where it was. But he knew that wouldn't end well...

Either Orochimaru dodged it and shot Itachi square in the chest, or Orochimaru ducked and used Naruto as a human shield.

"Fuck."

"Oh yes, you seem to be troubled," Orochimaru snickered. "I guess I really do have the upperhand here."

"You know what, Sarutobi? You are _going_ to die today."

"Says the man who can't even watch over his little friends."

"Ugh!" Itachi felt the sweat as it began to actually roll down the sides of his face. It slipped down the collar of his shirt and stuck to his hair. He itched, but that was nothing compared to that fire that he felt in his fingers. The trigger was right there. He could pull it. He could make it. Surely he could.

But then again, Naruto was right there. If he was just a few centimeters off, he would nick the little sophomore.

Orochimaru was gearing up to prattle again, but the door flew open.

"Sir!" a fat man shouted as he entered. "She's down! A shot to the head, and--!!"

"Dammit I'm busy!" Orochimaru sneered, refusing to take his eyes off of Itachi. The Uchiha took note of that.

"But, sir!" the large man went on. "She's our best gunman, and a kid took her out! We have to leave!"

For an instant, just one instant, Orochimaru started. Someone dared to tell him how he should run his operation?

"Insolent imbicile!" he spat. "I will not!"

"But--!"

Orochimaru made the mistake of flicking his eyes in a death glare to tell the oaf to leave while he could still walk. As soon as he opened his mouth, however, he was silenced. He turned back to his rival quickly enough just to see the bullet as it burned him between the eyes. There was a slight spray as he fell backward, still holding onto his blonde prize. Itachi took one second to double-tap the guy in the door. When he was sure everything was done, he went to retrieve Naruto.

"You alright?"

Naruto just held up a hand. He pushed the offending limb from his shoulder and pulled himself to his good leg with the aid of the bedpost. He didn't offer any kind of communication.

Itachi opted to help out. "Are you hurt anywhere? ...Besides your leg?"

Naruto put his hand up again to silence him. "Itachi, you just shot a man. In front of me. A man who was _holding_ me. I am severely grossed the fuck out. Please leave me be."

Itachi mentally kicked himself for not thinking about that. "Right..."  
-.-

"Are you alright?" Kabuto asked after Sasuke straightened back up.

"Fuck no!! You just told me you're going to shoot my mother!"

"Of course..." A sigh escaped him before he continued. "Well, might as well get it over with. Sorry you have to bear witness."

He took a second to think about Mikoto. She was still unconscious. "Sorry you have to die. It really does suck that you won't see your baby."

Sasuke forgot about that. "W-wait a minute!! Wait a damn minute!!"

Kabuto lowered his gun one more time. "Yes?"

"You're going to kill a pregnant woman? An unborn baby?!"

Kabuto deliberated on that for a moment. He walked over to examine the woman. He checked her dress seeing that it was wet. He thought that she had emptied her bladder due to fear.

That wasn't the case.

"How long has she been pregnant?"

"Ah... a-almost nine or ten months I think..."

"Oh. She's in labor."

Sasuke threw up again.  
-.-

"Alright... I think I can get over this," Naruto huffed after swallowing down his nausea. He tried to steady himself on both feet, but he failed. He grumbled to himself in disappointment.

"Just sit back down," Itachi urged him.

"I'm not staying in here!!" Naruto hopped to the door with the aid of anything he could lay hands on. He resolved to take the first person who came by. That just so happened to be Deidara. After convincing the older blonde to tote him around, Naruto gave Itachi his attention again.

"Go find Sasuke," the whiskered teen pleaded. "We'll catch up, and you know he won't let anything happen to me."

Though reluctant, Naruto was finally able to persuade Itachi to leave in search of his little brother. Itachi made sure to check in each room as he passed. He ducked in and out of doorways where bodies lay scattered about. He wasn't surprised to see family members or house workers. He just wanted to find Sasuke. When he did, he wished it was in a different circumstance.

His younger sibling was crouched in front of his mother, smacking her lightly on the face and telling her to wake up.

Kabuto picked up on Itcahi's entrance immediately.

"I thought my uncle had you taken care of?"

"Please," Itachi ground out. "Sasuke, what's wrong?"

The younger raven perked up then. "Sh-she passed out a while ago... K-kabuto says she's in labor, so I'm trying to wake her up." Sasuke took a second to move out of the way for his brother to see.

"Yes, well," Kabuto began, "I told him he only had a few minutes. I have things to do." He consulted his watch. "And it seems that your time is up."

Sasuke turned, horror plastered onto his face as he watched Kabuto pull his gun. It only took a second for him to realize that it was aimed at him rather than the woman against the wall. Sasuke fumbled for his own pistol and had just brought it up when he heard a shot ring out. It was louder than the one he'd heard with Sasori, and he realized, yet again, that he was still alive.

Apparetly, Itachi had much more practice with firearms. He'd caught Kabuto at the exact time he pulled his trigger. Itachi's shot knocked Kabuto in the shoulder and sent him to the floor. Kabuto's bullet, however, just missed its mark and managed to catch Mikoto.

Sasuke stared in disbelief at the newly acquired chest wound.

There was no way she would survive.

Neither would the baby.

"Itachi!" the young heir cried. "Itachi! Do something!!"

Catching on, Itachi ran to get his mother to something that could be called safety. He carried her away in search of Sasori. He was trained for that kind of stuff. He and Deidara both. But Itachi had no idea where Deidara was, and he was already preoccupied with Naruto anyway. Not that his mother wasn't more important. Deidara would just do his best to evenly divide his care and attention to both of them, and that wouldn't be enough for either.

He'd finally found Sasori coming out of the music room. He'd sustained a small cut on his face, but that was all. Itachi handed off his mother as best as he could. He kissed her once before taking back off down the hall to where he'd left Sasuke. He was shocked to find him with smoke rising from the tip of his gun, arms stretched out toward the boy on the other side of the room. Kabuto was sprawled on his back again, limbs all askew.

"Sasuke?"

"H-he was coming at me!" the ashen teen justified. "I didn't know what to do!"

Itachi looked on as his bother's pistol clattered to the floor and Sasuke buried his face in his hands. He sat back against the wall as if something were weighing him down. It looked as if he were only anchored there where the wall met the floor.

Itachi languidly made his way to his younger brother who'd been reduced to a bundle of nerves and tears. Tentively, he placed his hands on Sasuke's heaving shoulders. He wasn't surprised when his young doppleganger burrowed into his chest and sobbed. It was hard to kill someone. It was hard to watch your mother get shot as you sat there and did nothing. That whole night had to have been hell, and Itachi felt deep remorse for his little brother.

He was sorry above all else.

He was sorry that he hadn't been there sooner. He was sorry that he couldn't stop Naruto from being stolen away or shot. He was sorry that he didn't help his mother in time. It was his fault that any of this had happened in the first place.

Orochimaru had always said that if he tried to leave, he'd go after Sasuke. Itachi knew that he really would, but since his little borher had been at the club, he didn't think that Orochimaru could use that threat anymore. Itachi announced that he was going to go, and it wasn't until Orochimaru was already at the party that Itachi received a tip about what he'd planned to do. They probably could have even talked things out if Itachi hadn't just gone in with his guns ready and raring to go.

Itachi removed his hands from Sasuke to check the chamber of his gun. He wasn't surprised.

One bullet was all he needed though.

"Sasuke," Itachi called, straightening up.

Sasuke gave him his full attention as he wiped what tears he could from his eyes.

"I... I'm sorry that I have to fail you," the older Uchiha admitted.

His younger sibling hadn't caught on, so Itachi decided that actions spoke louder than words. He softly placed the barrel of his gun against an alabaster smooth temple. The still hot metal pressed deftly against clammy flesh as he cocked the weapon.

"A-aniki?" Sasuke stuttered. He didn't like where he could already tell things were going. "Wh... what are you doing?"

"I truly regret doing this..."

"No..." Sasuke couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe the threat of the gun. He couldn't believe what was happening. How could he? How could his only brother, his only living relative left, do this to him?

"No... No! You promised!!" Sasuke wailed, grabbing at the barrel. "You swore you'd never let anything happen to me!! What is wrong with you?!"

Itachi cast his gaze to the dirtied floor. What was he thinking? He couldn't do this. Not to Sasuke. Not to the only person he was sure truly loved him from the start. Not to the only relative he knew was still alive...

But he had to.

Sasuke heard it as he began to squeeze the tiny trigger. He heard Naruto finally shuffle into the room with Deidara, but he didn't dare spare a look.

"ITACHI!!" Naruto moaned upon catching the sight. "What're you doing?!" The injured teen began to hobble over to the pair. That was when Itachi knew it was now or never. If Naruto made it over, he'd never finish the deed. He couldn't look them both in the eye and still carry out such a blasphemous plan.

He whispered something too softly to be heard as he squeezed a bit harder.

"ANIKI!!"

There was one shot. The last one that was heard in the house. Sasuke tried his best to turn the barrel, but he knew it couldn't be that effective. He knew his hope could only get him so far. The bullet singed through pale skin, through dense bone and exited in what was nearly a straight line. Naruto collapsed to the floor and cry out in agony as one of his heart's strings were ripped from his chest.

The young raven crashed against his older double as one more Uchiha was wiped away from the earth's surface; as one more life was taken prematurely; as one brother left the other...

Itachi had promised. He'd sworn, back when he was still in grade school, that everything would be fine. He'd never let anything bad happen his little brother.

He lied.

But that was what high school was all about. The good, unforgettable times you spend with your friends, and all of the horrible wretched things that they'd done to you. For Naruto and Sasuke both, high school was full of memories, things that would forever be remembered-- things that could never be forgotten. Romance, heartbreak, comfort...

But the lies would forever be present. Pushing themselves forward to be recognized, longing to be recalled, only to depress. There were two things that Naruto learned in the instant that he witnessed Itachi pull the trigger. One was that, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, you cannot make things happen the way you want them to. The other was that everything makes memories, and everyone lies.


	49. Epilogue

Here you go guys. You got an epilogue XP Now you know who got shot and what have you. Though, it still leaves you feeling bereft at the end. Let it be known that this was done in fifteen minutes.

* * *

Naruto shuffled under the covers. He hated it when the phone rang. Especially when he was sleeping so soundly. He used his foot to kick at the other person in the bed in order to rouse him.

Sasuke just grumbled and let the thing on his nightstand buzz. It did stop eventually.

Naruto was happy enough with that and started sleeping again. He was ever so irritated when it started up again.

"Don't be an ass, Sasuke," he moaned. "Just answer the damn phone?"

Sasuke sighed, but he eventually got up to answer the tiny device.

Sliding it open, since he didn't have his Helio any longer, he put the thing to his ear. "Uchiha."

"Don't react," the tinny voice commanded. He didn't get good reception in the bedroom.

"Who is this?" Sasuke asked just as calmly as he would any other day, not really wanting to upset the blonde beside him.

Apparently, his question was ignored. "I told you I would contact you when he started moving."

Terror and relief swept over him all at once. This man, the man from the trip, actually managed to contact him-- even after getting a new phone and number. Along with that though, he'd gotten the information that Itachi was okay. Maybe not fine, but still alive and moving apparently.

"Listen to me," the man on the other end on the line ordered. "You're going to have to go down the the post office."

Sasuke nearly vaulted from his spot. But he remembered about jarring Naruto. He swallowed past the terrible lump in his throat. Whispering, he asked, "Why?"

"We'll talk about it when you get here." The man promptly hung up after that.

Sasuke slid his phone back shut. Quite honestly, he didn't want anything to do with this man. But he'd said that Itachi was "moving." Sasuke didn't know anything about any plans his brother may have had. He'd practically been comatose for a month then. Maybe he was supposed to go down just to see what was going on. Itachi was probably there, and he could explain it for him.

And it wasn't like anyone would mind. They're had the funeral a few weeks ago, and Naruto would just sleep through the night like always. Sasuke would just have to make sure to take his phone with him so that it didn't wake him up.

Resolved, the raven got out of the bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt he found thrown against the headboard. It was orange, so he wouldn't be hard to find if anything went down at least. He slid on some Sperry's and made it successfully to the front door.

Just in case, he took down a note and stuck it to the fridge. Heaven forbid Naruto got up for a snack or drink or something, and he did notice that his lovely wasn't there. No need to cause a heartattack. He put a quick "Stepped out, brb," and locked the door behind him. Naruto stirred, but he didn't even open his eyes.  
-.-

The next morning, Naruto arose to the unhappy sight of a missing Uchiha. Grumbling to himself, he fixed some cereal and toast. He took note of the message on the refrigerator and didn't worry about it too much. He called Kiba over, and they played some games together. Sasuke still wasn't home when dinner rolled around, so Naruto called him. He left a message and told Sasuke that Kiba was going to spend the night.

The next day, Sasuke stil lhadn't returned, but Naruto just assumed it was because Kiba was there, and Sasuke didn't want to intrude on their friend time. Eventually, Kiba went home around four in the afternoon. Naruto left another message on Sasuke's voicemail and took a nap. He got up around six and went out to do some work at the orphanage-- his new community service of choice.

He didn't get back til ten, so he took a shower and went to bed. When he woke up and Sasuke still wan't there for school that Monday morning, He was sure something was wrong. He called him periodically throughout the day, but there was never an answer or a reply.

Panicked, Naruto reported it to the police. They told him that they would file a report and that he shouldn't worry. So he didn't.

He lamented.

He just sat home on the couch, blankly staring at the television that he didn't even other to turn on. When he got cold, he didn't turn on the heat or get a blanket-- he just scrunched up close to himself. When he was hot, he didn't turn on the AC or open a window, he just got a little naked. When he was hungry, he ate. When he had to relieve himself, he did. But he always returned to the couch. He went to school, but he didn't participate; it was like he wasn't even there. He didn't engage at lunch, and he sat out for gym.

And every night he went home. He ate a granola bar. And he sat on the couch. And that was it. Sasuke was gone, so what else was he supposed to do? All he could do was wait.

And so he did.

FIN.

* * *

Here's Confusion and Deceit: ((take out the space))

http://fanfiction .net/s/5890677/1/Confusion_and_Deceit


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